The Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is navigating turbulent waters as it launches an internal investigation into one of its own, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, following his public endorsement of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and President Bola Tinubu of the APC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The endorsement has raised controversy as the Party’s State Working Committee (SWC), in a tense meeting held on Monday, resolved to set up a three-member panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding Zazzaga’s statements.
The party views his actions as a breach of internal Party discipline and a potential case of anti-party conduct.
Zazzaga’s public show of support for Mutfwang, a PDP leader, and Tinubu, the sitting APC President, sparked heated debates on social media over the weekend. The backlash prompted the APC’s Acting Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, to issue a statement on behalf of the Party’s Chairman, Rufus Bature, expressing concern over the damaging optics the controversy has created for the Party in the State.
The jittery APC stalwarts say that the development cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand and as such, needs to be handled according to the dictates of the Party’s Constitution.
The Chairman who gave the panel a two-week deadline to conclude their findings and submit a report, emphasized the need for a fair and thorough process, urging the panel to adhere strictly to the Party’s constitution and give all parties a fair hearing.
The decision to form the panel, the party said, was necessary to “determine the veracity or otherwise of the alleged offence as well as the culpability of Alhaji Saleh, in line with the Party’s guidelines.”
The incident hints of a broader challenge facing the APC in Plateau State, a State where political loyalties often shift, and internal Party disagreements can quickly escalate into public spectacles.
As the countdown to the 2027 elections begins in earnest, the outcome of the Zazzaga probe may set a crucial precedent for how the APC manages internal dissent and positions itself for the future.
For now, all eyes are on the three-member panel, whose findings could either heal a budding rift or deepen the fault lines within the Plateau APC.
However, Mani Imman of the Plateau Patriotic Front, PPF has lauded Zazzaga’s courage, saying a time has come for Plateau people to move beyond Party politics and appreciate good governance as shown by Governor Caleb Mutfwang irrespective of Party affiliations.