Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that what powers every state is the unity of purpose and the people.

Shettima said it is therefore not surprising that the leader who fought for the unity of Nigeria comes from Plateau.

“This leader is no other person than General Yakubu Gowon, who united the country,” he stated yesterday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, at the grand reception of Governor Caleb Mutfwang into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“For the governor to decamp to APC shows that Nigeria is united. We are welcoming the governor today into the party, and nothing can tear us apart.

“Under his leadership, Plateau has moved forward. Let me tell the Plateau people that what binds us together should remain so,” he stated.

“The National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, is a true son of the state.

“I am very happy to tell you that Senator Simon Bako Lalong, a former governor of the state, has done extremely well to further unite the state by stepping down for Mutfwang to become the leader of the APC in the state when he decamped to APC.

“Let us unite, please. In the next three weeks, the Federal Government will commence the Jos–Akwanga Road by the grace of God,” he stated.

Welcoming Mutfwang to APC, Yilwatda, told the gathering that he contested under APC with Mutfwang, who contested under the People Democratic Party (PDP) as two governorship candidates vying for the soul of Plateau.

“That one is gone. I have nothing against you. I wholeheartedly welcome you to APC. We shall cooperate to bring the needed peace and unity to the state. I count you as a new bride.

“Everybody should join Tinubu so that he wins the 2027 presidential elections. Everybody in Plateau should know that there is no vacancy in the Government House in 2027. You will return to Government House in 2027. I stand with you,” Yilwatda said.

Full of joy, Mutfwang, in his address, specifically disclosed that President Bola Tinubu specifically told him he should join him in the party, while Shettima has been a strong push on him to come to APC.

He thanked the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who encouraged him to come to APC.

Mutfwang appreciated Yilwatda, whom he referred to as his former opponent but his brother.

He said that there is no more opposition in Plateau, urging the Vice President to tell Tinubu that he has found an ally in the state, adding that election in the state in 2027 for Tinubu is a foregone conclusion.