By Paul Soempit
In the brutal terrain of Nigerian politics, grudges don’t die — they calcify. And if there’s any fresh proof of this, it’s playing out right now in Plateau State, where the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Yilwatda Nentawe, appears to be using the party as a weapon for personal revenge — not national progress.
This isn’t just another North Central power squabble. This is political cannibalism at the heart of a ruling party trying to rebrand itself as a vessel of national unity and inclusion under President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.” And make no mistake: if the President doesn’t intervene, what’s festering in Plateau could metastasize into a full-blown electoral cancer by 2027.
Let’s call it what it is: Nentawe’s obsession with Governor Caleb Mutfwang is no longer political competition — it’s vendetta politics dressed in party robes.
A Dangerous Contradiction
Two years ago, Nentawe lost the Plateau governorship race — badly — to Caleb Mutfwang, a man with far more grassroots traction and, by all accounts, a deeper moral spine. Rather than move on and build alliances for the future, Nentawe has chosen to dig in his heels, sabotage potential bridges, and now, stunningly, block Mutfwang from defecting to the APC.
Let that sink in: at a time when President Tinubu is shaking hands with opposition governors across Nigeria — from Cross River to Zamfara — his own party chairman is slamming the door shut on a sitting governor in a state with over 2.5 million registered voters. A governor who has arguably delivered more in two years than many do in eight.
And why? Because Nentawe still hasn’t healed from 2023. If that’s not self-sabotage, then it’s sabotage of the worst kind — the kind that’s mistaken for strategy.
Mutfwang: The Beautiful Bride They Fear
So what makes Mutfwang the political bride that even his enemies can’t ignore?
He inherited a Plateau State marred by chronic insecurity, abandoned infrastructure, and years of political erosion. Yet, in just 24 months, he’s rekindled hope with tangible progress. Reconstructed roads. Revived public transport with Metro Buses. Rejuvenated the long-dead Jos Main Market. Pushed education reforms. Slashed tuition fees. Renovated healthcare facilities. Brought women and youth into government. Built legal frameworks. Injected real, measurable governance into a broken system.
And he did all this while his own hometown, Mangu, was bleeding from insecurity.
Sure, Abia and Enugu may have moved faster in some areas — but let’s not pretend they were fighting the same war Mutfwang was. He had to rebuild while dodging bullets.
That’s the kind of record that should have the APC rolling out a red carpet, not laying landmines.
The Grudge That Could Burn the House
Professor Nentawe’s alleged campaign to block Mutfwang’s entry into the APC — pushed through via a “stakeholders’ motion” in Jos — reeks of political cowardice masquerading as consensus.
What does it say about a national chairman who’d rather poison the well than share the wine?
Even worse, there are whispers — now nearly a roar — that Nentawe still eyes the governorship in 2027. Is this what it’s really about? Preserving the APC ticket for himself by keeping Mutfwang out? If so, then he isn’t just a bad loser; he’s a liability to Tinubu’s 2027 strategy.
You can’t claim to support the President’s re-election while actively repelling the kind of grassroots powerhouse that could swing the vote in the North Central.
Tinubu Must Decide: Party or Personality?
President Tinubu built his empire on a political philosophy of inclusion. He knows how to build coalitions, mend fences, and win across divides. From the South West to the South East, he’s been pulling in heavyweights with one goal: 2027.
The Plateau mess now tests that strategy.
Will Tinubu allow one man’s vendetta to override the party’s national interests? Or will he stamp his authority and remind the APC that it’s not a cult of bitterness but a coalition of interests?
The Renewed Hope Advocates of Nigeria (RHAN) are right: Plateau is too strategic to be sacrificed on the altar of personal pride. Tinubu must call his Chairman to order — fast. Because if this continues, 2023 will look like a warm-up to a 2027 implosion.
Final Word: Open the Door or Lose the House
Governor Caleb Mutfwang has something that many politicians lack — a track record and a conscience. If the APC were smart, it would bring him in, amplify his successes, and ride his credibility straight into 2027.
Instead, the party — under Nentawe’s iron-fisted pettiness — is doing the opposite.
This isn’t just a local drama. It’s a test of whether the APC is still a national party or has become a platform for petty score-settling.
Tinubu must decide: will 2027 be about revenge or renewal?
Because the road to victory is paved with open doors — not closed minds.
● Soempit, a political analyst, sent this piece from Abuja.
