President Bola Tinubu has urged APC governors to support state police and enforce local government autonomy, as the party announces defections and a nationwide membership drive
Tinubu Calls for State Police, Local Government Autonomy at APC National Caucus Meeting
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday renewed calls for far-reaching security and governance reforms, urging governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as those from other parties, to support the establishment of state police and the full implementation of local government autonomy.
The President made the call at the 14th meeting of the APC National Caucus, held in Abuja, amid growing national concerns over insecurity and grassroots governance.
Tinubu specifically urged governors to respect and enforce the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils, stressing that the ruling must go beyond paper declarations.
“It is not enough that the court has passed the judgment. Allocations meant for local government councils must reach them directly,” the President said.
The call for state police has intensified across the country as security challenges persist, with many stakeholders advocating decentralised policing as a solution to Nigeria’s complex security landscape.
Beyond security and governance reforms, Tinubu also called for greater inclusion of women within the APC National Caucus, stressing the need for improved gender balance in the party’s top decision-making structure.
Meanwhile, in his opening remarks, APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yelwata, announced a major political development with the defection of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, to the ruling party.
Yelwata, who hails from Plateau State, declared that with Mutfwang’s defection, the entire North Central geopolitical zone is now governed by the APC.
Governor Mutfwang was elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, making him the latest high-profile political figure to dump the main opposition party.
As part of efforts to consolidate its growing membership base, the APC also announced a January 30, 2026 deadline for the completion of its electronic membership registration nationwide.
Yelwata said the rollout of the digital registration system, which has already commenced, is aimed at enhancing transparency, data integrity and internal democracy within the party.
“We’ve done training at the state level, we’ve done it at the zonal level, and we’ve done it at the local government level in most states,” he said.
“I want to urge our stakeholders to support the nationwide rollout of this noble activity.”
He assured new and existing members of equal rights and privileges within the party and encouraged them to take advantage of the registration exercise to mobilise supporters.
“Both the old and new members should go to the portal and register all their members. We expect that this drive should be done from now till January 30. All members must have registered and prepared for our congresses that will come ahead,” Yelwata added.
The developments at the caucus meeting highlight the APC’s twin focus on structural governance reforms and political consolidation, as preparations quietly intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections. Read More
