Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the implication of the political shift for the state and the Southeast.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost a stronghold in the Southeast to protracted crisis, acrimony and rivalry among top leaders of the distressed opposition party.
Peter Mbah, loyal, reticent and promising governor of Enugu State, has dumped what his vast supporters described as a sinking ship, after months of warning.
No authentic member of his political family is left behind. Other prominent leaders of the drowning PDP chapter, commissioners, special advisers, lawmakers and the entire grassroots leaders left with him.
Former Governors Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Senate President Ken Nnamani,and other leading lights have earlier called it quits with the platform that become fragile due to internal contradictions.
His departure marked the end of an era for the major opposition in Enugu and indeed, the entire Southeast.
For 26 years, PDP bestrode the state and made it a no-go area for other competing political parties. But due to its inability to manage its achievements, it has lost political control, influence and relevance. Its loss became the gain of the ruling party.
Mbah is not a baby politician in Enugu and the region, although he is not boisterous. Calm and calculating, the lawyer is a deep thinker, resourceful administrator, effective planner and result-driven personality, who has no time for frivolities. These qualties have made him a resounding success in the world of business where he had made a great impact.
His warning that the region was been sidelined or excluded by the PDP was ignored without justification. Pretending to be its old self, party gerontocrats proposed a slow-motion problem-solving approach in a jet age, oblivious of the fact that the clamour for inclusion is the anthem of the millenium.
The bone of contention is the position of the PDP National Secretary that had fuelled regional division and acrimony. While the legal option provided a solution, it was not complemented with political solution through dialogue and peace building.
Reality dawned on the distant PDP leaders who encamped in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as the entire Enugu structures collapsed into the APC. The transformation was instant as the governor became the state APC leader, and without any problem of harmonisation of old and new structures.
Today, PDP has no footing again in the Southeast. Governors of Enugu, Imo and Ebonyi are in APC. Governor Alex Otti of Imo belongs to the the Labour Party and Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra is in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). In 2027, none of them would have anything to do with the PDP and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The crowd was huge. It was not a rented gatherning mobilised by pecks or any financial inducement. The first ceremony was the announcement of the political transition by the soft-spoken governor. With him at the press conference were prominent members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, including Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Bukar Dalori, his Southern counterpart, Emma Eneukwu, National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, and Organising Secretary, Alhaji Sulaiman Argungu.
The second was the grand rally at Okpara Square, Enugu, the state capital, where he was received to the ruling party by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Secretary Dr. Ajibola Basiru,Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senator Orji Kalu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Ogun, Imo and Ekiti counterparts – Dapo Abiodun, Hope Uzodimma and Biodun Oyebanji.
None could arguably fault his decision for jumping ship. He said it was a collective resolve of dedicated party faithful who are driven by the desire to protect the interest of the state. The governor said the decision was taken after a long and deep reflection.
He said: “This is no whimsical decision. It is a collective move by the political family in Enugu State, comprising members of the National Assembly, members of the State House of Assembly, the State Executive Council, all the local government chairmen, all councillors, all political appointees, and over 80 percent of party executives.
“We have no axe to grind, no personal point to make. But fairness, respect and integrity must guide our choices for that future to be ours. Today, in joining the APC, we are embracing a visionary partnership. I have found in His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not just a leader of our nation, but a partner in purpose, a man with the courage to look beyond today and make the tough choices that secure lasting prosperity for tomorrow.”
The governor said their decision to join the APC would bring about a new era of development and progress to Enugu State.
Mbah reflected on the atmosphere of suffocation in the PDP which could no more be endured. He said the party tried to take the state and the region for a ride.
He said: “For nearly three decades, the PDP and the people of Enugu walked side by side, united by shared purpose. Together, we built relationships that will always matter to me personally and to this state.
“Yet, leadership sometimes demands difficult – even painful – decisions in the service of higher principles and goals. And there always comes a time when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.
“Over the past months, I have thought carefully about the path forward. In the end, after much soul searching and discussion, I have concluded that we must stand for the principles and institutions that honour transparency, trust, and above all – the people we serve.”
Mbah added: “For decades, the South East – especially Enugu – has stood firmly behind the PDP, showing loyalty that shaped the party’s success. Yet despite this history, our voices were too often disregarded when it mattered most. It has therefore, become necessary to seek affiliation where our interests as a region are represented in the form of fair partnership,” he said, adding that going forward “the voice of Enugu people and indeed, that of the Southeast people would now be heard in Abuja.”
The governor thanked the PDP, “which provided us the platform on which we campaigned and won, I extend deep gratitude.”
He said “the PDP supported us through a demanding campaign and joined us in celebrating the victory.”
Mbah hailed Bola Ahmed Tinubu for exhibiting courage and decisiveness. He said: “Some choices demand sacrifice. Removing subsidies, unifying our foreign exchange markets, confronting crippling inefficiency – these are not easy decisions. But these are the smart choices that free resources for investment in our people.
“His Excellency, the President has shown he is not afraid to make the tough decisions for a fair and stable nation. And here in Enugu, we have been just as audacious.
“This move is bigger than politics – it is about alignment at scale. It is about connecting Enugu’s destiny with the central hub of broader reforms shaping our nation.”
The governor raised some puzzles: Will the voice of Enugu be heard now in Abuja?
How will the change affect our progress at home? How will your lives be touched by this decision?
He said: “Let me be clear, I will represent our state and our region with the same strength of purpose as I have always done. Our Igbo DNA does not change; our destiny does not change. What changes is that our vision now finds stronger reinforcement at the federal level.
“The progress you see today will not slow, and the projects we have begun will be completed. Yes, there have been challenges and delays along the way, but make no mistake – schools, hospitals, roads, and our services will be finished as promised.
“To the political elite across the South East, I say this: our people are watching. What they care about most are results. True leadership is about service to the people, not service to self. Principles, not personalities, must guide us.”
Shettima, who represented Tinubu at tge rally, described Mbah’s defection as a defining moment for Ndigbo and the nation.
He said: “Today is a great day in our great nation; indeed, a great day in Ndigbo. Ali Mazrui, the great Kenyan writer, once described the Igbo as the Nigerian Jews—geographically mobile, economically enterprising and educationally ambitious. Sadly, in the last 10 to 12 years, Ndigbo, one of the most vibrant tribes in Africa, have been at the margins of Nigerian politics.
“Now with the coming of Governor Peter Mbah, with the continuous energy of Governor Hope Uzodimma and Governor Francis Nwifuru, I believe the Ndigbo have come back to the mainstream of Nigerian politics.”
Shettima described President Tinubu as a leader with a “sense of inclusion” who rewards merit over sentiment. He said under his leadership, APC has become “the most formidable political party in Africa.”
Turning to Mbah on the podium, he said: “You are already one of us. You are a progressive through and through. I believe you had a broom hidden in your umbrella for all these years, waiting for the right moment to bring it out.
“From our convention and constitution, the governor is the leader of the party in his state. Your Excellency, you are now the leader of the APC family in Enugu State. We are one big family tied in common destiny. Be rest assured that you will be treated justly and fairly.”
To the APC governors, Mbah is a big catch. Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), hailed him for joining the party, saying that it is a major step toward regional integration.
He added: “Earlier this morning, the governor addressed the world and informed us of his decision to join the All Progressives Congress. We, in the South -East, are very excited and very happy.
“On behalf of the Progressives Governors Forum, I welcome everyone to Enugu and congratulate our dear brother and friend, Peter Mbah, for taking the wise decision to join the APC to strengthen the excellent work our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is doing in Nigeria. This decision has once again strengthened our integration into national politics.”
To Akpabio, Mbah’s defection is the beginning of “a journey that will bring more development and progress to Enugu State.”
He stressed: This is a journey that will bring more development. This is a journey that will bring more progress. I am a man who believes in progress.
“The entire Senate is here. Your principal officer, Osita Ngwu, was the only PDP senator in the whole of the South -East. He told me he was going with the governor wherever he was going because he is performing.
“We are all here because we are very happy. My wife is from Enugu, and my children are relocating to Enugu. What I am seeing here — this state is even more beautiful than Abuja. I think the only place that compares to it is Akwa Ibom when I was governor.”
Kalu, former governor of Abia State, spoke in Igbo. He spoke in Igbo commended Mbah for joining the train of progress.
Kalu said: “The Vice President is here to welcome your governor to the APC in the name of the President. Since tomorrow is here, it is good for tomorrow to join APC.
“The Vice President has come to welcome him to a place where there is progress. You know that the whole South -East has agreed to move to APC. We are all here to honour your governor.”
Yilwatda described Mbah as “a progressive mind who could no longer be contained in the PDP.
He said: Enugu State is welcome to APC. Governor Peter Mbah, thank you for taking this right decision. You took your people from Egypt to the Promised Land, from depression to progress.
“Today we are seeing the new Enugu State. The PDP cannot house the kind of progressive mind that you have. As I was coming, I saw the roads, the water, the electricity, the schools — you have touched virtually all sectors. The APC is proud to welcome you and your team, as we see this defection as a return home to progress and success.
“On behalf of the National Working Committee and millions of APC members, I welcome you to this family. I welcome you to progress. I welcome you to success.”
