PDP Has Failed, Irredeemable for Now — Ex-Lawmaker Bagos Explains Defection to APC

Former member of the House of Representatives, Dachung Bagos, has said he and other politicians are defecting to other political parties because the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed and is currently “irredeemable.”

According to the former lawmaker, the wave of defections is not driven by personal political ambition or sycophancy, but by the search for a platform capable of addressing the needs of the people.

“We are not jumping parties for political ambition. We are jumping parties because of the platform that wants to give our people a voice and leadership that says, ‘You can trust us to address these issues,’” Bagos said.

He added that the PDP has lost relevance due to internal crises, making it unattractive to politicians who want to deliver meaningful governance.

“We are not jumping parties because of sycophancy. We are jumping parties because the PDP has failed at this particular moment and is irredeemable for now. So the platform that aligns with our ideology is where we are today,” he stated.

Bagos’ comments come amid a series of high-profile defections from the PDP to the APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), largely triggered by prolonged internal disputes within the opposition party.

Explaining his decision to join the APC on Monday, Bagos said the party’s agenda resonates with the aspirations of the people of Plateau State. He emphasised that governance should be driven by ideas and policies rather than party labels.

“Governance is beyond party lines. It is about the agendas on the table that can make your people believe that these are real solutions,” he said.

Bagos also pointed to President Bola Tinubu’s renewed emphasis on state policing and local government autonomy as key policy areas that influenced his decision.

“If the President has re-emphasised the issue of state police and local government autonomy, ensuring that every state conducts local government elections, then we are on the right path,” he said.

He added that such reforms would empower ordinary citizens and restore confidence in the political system.

“We want the son of nobody to become a local government chairman. We want young people who never believed in politics to begin to believe again,” Bagos said.

Bagos’ defection follows the recent move of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang, into the ruling APC, further reshaping the state’s political landscape.