A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, Chief David Sani Kente, has denied rumours linking him to alleged moves to facilitate the defection of Governor Agbu Kefas of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Speaking in an interview with journalists in Jalingo, Kente described the reports as false and damaging to his political image.
“As I speak to you, the governor has not told me that he wants to move to the APC. Virtually all APC members have isolated me over the past two years and rejected offers from the national government meant for me,” Kente said.
The former SDP governorship candidate lamented that the rumour had worsened his relationship with party members, who now accuse him of secretly negotiating the governor’s defection.
“They have further damaged my political programmes by alleging that I masterminded the governor’s plans to join the APC,” he added.
Kente, who shares the same local government area as Governor Kefas, said neither he nor other prominent politicians in Southern Taraba had been consulted about any defection plans.
“Just like you’re hearing it as a rumour, that’s how we, his close associates in the APC, are also hearing it. As of now, the governor has not contacted any of us,” he said, noting that Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya had also denied any knowledge of such plans.
Kente, who had previously pledged not to contest against Kefas out of respect, hinted that changing political realities might make him reconsider his stance. “Dynamics are changing, and when dynamics change, decisions also change,” he remarked.
Reflecting on his political journey, Kente recalled working with Ikenya to establish the APC in Southern Taraba in 2016, stressing that the Jukun tradition values consultation and mutual respect.
“If the governor is indeed considering coming to the APC, it is without our knowledge or involvement,” he concluded.
