by Jide Orintunsin, Abuja and Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi
All is set for the collapse of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State.
In a manner reminiscent of the defections that occurred in Delta and Akwa Ibom states earlier in the year, Governor Peter Mbah and all elected and appointive officers of the state are set to formally defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday next week.
The newly inaugurated Enugu State APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, confirmed the development to newsmen at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja after taking the oath of office yesterday.
The bug of defection might also have bitten Benue State with strong rumour that former governor of the state Senator Gabriel Suswam and erstwhile boss of the National Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhii were set to defect from PDP to APC.
Nwoye said Governor Mbah, all his appointees and the entire state’s political structure would officially be received into the party on October 14.
He made the disclosure during a press briefing by the newly inaugurated Enugu State Caretaker Committee.
Describing Mbah’s defection as the dawn of a new political era for Enugu and the Southeast region, Nwoye said the governor’s coming into APC would be “a merger between transformation and renewed hope.”
“For the past 10 years, Enugu State has remained in opposition. But all that ends on Tuesday when Governor Peter Mbah declares for the APC. And he is not coming alone,” Nwoye said.
According to him, the defection will signal a “historic alignment” as Mbah will be joined by 260 councillors, 24 state lawmakers, National Assembly members, and the entire state executive council—an unprecedented political realignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Where Enugu goes, the Southeast goes. This marks the beginning of the Southeast’s political reawakening and full integration into national politics,” Nwoye said with a tone of confidence.
Commending the Governor Mbah’s performance in his last two years in office, Nwoye, who was the founding state chairman of the party, noted that his economic and infrastructural reforms had elevated the state to one of Nigeria’s top-performing states in internally generated revenue.
He added that the synergy between Mbah’s Transformation Agenda and President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Vision would accelerate development and economic growth across the Southeast.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who inaugurated the seven-man caretaker committee for the party in the state, had earlier hinted of moves by the APC to strengthen its foothold in the Southeast.
The APC chairman charged the new Enugu leadership to consolidate the shock defection into a “lasting political conquest”
“APC is home for all. The person who came yesterday, today or tomorrow has equal rights.
“Our goal is simple: to expand, to win, and to deliver overwhelming victory in 2027,” Yilwatda said.
APC’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, who is from the state, said the political development in the state marked the return of the Southeast region to national relevance.
“We will no longer play second fiddle. With Enugu in APC, the Southeast has found its voice again,” he declared.