Gov Mbah to formally join APC on Tuesday

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State will on Tuesday defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

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The Chairperson of the APC Caretaker Committee in Enugu, Ben Nwoye, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday after the inauguration of the seven-member committee appointed for the state chapter.

The APC National Working Committee (NWC) dissolved the Enugu State Working Committee and inaugurated a seven-member caretaker committee to oversee the party’s affairs.

The move, party officials said, was part of wider efforts to reposition the party in anticipation of the governor’s defection.

Speaking after his inauguration at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, Mr Nwoye confirmed that Mr Mbah would be accompanied by 260 councillors, 24 members of the State House of Assembly, federal legislators, and members of the state executive council of the PDP, a move he described as “a historic alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

“This is not just about Enugu State. Where Enugu goes, the South-east goes. What we are witnessing is the beginning of the political reawakening of the South-east as we move to integrate the region into national politics,” he said.

The caretaker chairman praised the governor’s performance, noting that his administration has repositioned Enugu as one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing states in internally generated revenue and infrastructural renewal.

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He said, “In barely two years, Governor Mbah has moved Enugu from a lagging state to a front-runner.

“Today, Enugu ranks fifth in internally generated revenue nationwide.”

He added that the convergence of Mr Mbah’s transformation agenda with Mr Tinubu’s Renewed Hope vision would accelerate development in the South-east.

“We are seeing a merger of progress and purpose. The transformative agenda of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah will now align with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

The National Chairperson of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, Deputy National Chairperson (South), Emma Eneukwu, said during the inauguration of the committee that hinted at the efforts the party had been making to strengthen its influence in the South-east.

PREMIUM TIMES reported exclusively that the governor was finalising arrangements to dump the opposition PDP, a party that has governed Enugu uninterruptedly since 1999, for the APC.

According to sources familiar with the development, Governor Mbah had in recent weeks held extensive consultations with political associates, stakeholders, and national leaders within and outside the state to consolidate his move.

Influence of APC leaders in Enugu

Mr Mbah’s defection, multiple sources say, follows sustained persuasion from top APC figures in the state, including former governors Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime, and a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.

The three political heavyweights, all prominent figures in the ruling party, reportedly played key roles in convincing Mr Mbah to align with the APC’s leadership at the centre.

READ ALSO: Enugu governor reshuffles cabinet, swears in six new commissioners

PDP faces another major setback

With Mr Mbah’s defection, the APC is set to make further historic inroads into a region that had long remained a PDP stronghold, potentially redrawing Nigeria’s political map ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It will further weaken the PDP, coming just months after Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, crossed over to the ruling party.

The trend reflects growing instability within the PDP, which has struggled to maintain internal cohesion since its defeat in the 2023 general elections.

The governor’s exit may mark the end of PDP’s 25-year dominance in Enugu politics and bolster the APC’s ongoing drive to expand its foothold in the region.