By Godwin Agia, Jalingo
A coalition of All Progressives Congress, APC, stakeholders in Taraba State and the Chief David Sabo Kente Political Organisation has asked businessman Chief David Sabo Kente to contest the 2027 governorship election, accusing Governor Agbu Kefas of three years of failed promises and misgovernance.
The appeal was made at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, where former APC State Secretary Hon. Godwin Villannah read a joint statement on behalf of the two groups.
Villannah disclosed that APC stalwarts and DSK political organisation members from the 16 local government areas met in Wukari on April 14 and 15, 2026, and unanimously endorsed Kente for governor, noting that the meeting resolved to contribute money to purchase the APC interest and nomination forms for him.
The coalition recalled that Kente had directed his supporters to vote for Dr. Agbu Kefas in the last election, even when Kefas was in the PDP, because the APC candidate then was not sellable, adding that those who worked for Kefas expected dividends of democracy, but have allegedly been terribly disappointed.
“Though Chief Kente turned down the offer, we deem it very compelling and indeed necessary that he should heed the calls from the overwhelming number of people of Taraba State and come out to rescue the state from misgovernance and the embarrassing level of underdevelopment.
“Rather than dividends of democracy, it has been failed promises without any tangible development to show. This is so even with the quantum of resources that had flown into the state within the period under review.
“Promised projects like the Wukari Flyover, township roads, and an International Stadium remain mere dreams, while Jalingo township roads earmarked for military engineers have remained worse than he met them three years ago.
“As patriotic citizens, and committed party members who uphold the true values of democracy, we are worried about the readiness of our party going into the 2027 governorship contest, It is our firm belief that Chief David Sabo Kente possesses the required skills, knowledge and wide acceptability across the state to give APC an easy win.
“We are therefore prevailing on Chief David Sabo Kente to answer the call by the people of Taraba State to embark on this very important rescue mission and accept to contest for the exalted position of Governor,” they said.
They alleged that since defecting to the APC, Governor Kefas has run the party like his personal estate, sidelining chieftains who built the party while appointments went only to those who followed him from the PDP.
The groups also faulted the Governor’s infrastructure record, saying the first road commissioned in three years was the 5km Ibi/Nwonyo road, which it called an eyesore.
The coalition further questioned the Governor’s foreign trips, claiming the much talked-about foreign investments is still a mirage and suggested a claim that state funds may have been used for personal investments around the world.
