…as APC, Party leaders hail move as catalyst for rapid dev’t, final piece in S’east expansion
By Sodiq Adelakun
In what is widely described as one of the most consequential political defections in the South-East in over two decades, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, yesterday formally joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His move effectively ends the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) uninterrupted 26-year dominance in the state.
The announcement came during a live broadcast from the Government House, Enugu, where Governor Mbah, surrounded by his commissioners, State Assembly lawmakers, and local government chairmen, declared his intention to “align Enugu with the centre.”
“This is no whimsical decision. It’s a collective move by the political family in Enugu State comprising members of the National Assembly, the State House of Assembly, the Executive Council, all local government chairmen, councillors, and over 80 percent of PDP executives,” Mbah stated.
With that pronouncement met with cheers across the courtyard of the Lion Building, an era ended, signalling a new and highly unpredictable pattern of political adaptation in the region.
Governor Mbah’s defection was not sudden. For months, sources indicated sustained overtures from the Presidency, with aides close to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seeking to deepen the APC’s penetration in the South-East.
In his address, Mbah openly admired Tinubu’s political style, declaring: “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.”
He described his decision as a visionary partnership with the President, noting they share a commitment to bold and disruptive development for the South-East.
“The president has shown not only interest but a deep and vested commitment to Enugu. We both share a belief that renewal does not stop at the grand highways or balance sheets. It must reach the ward, the village, the grassroots, the farmer, the trader, the young entrepreneur. That is where true reform comes alive,” the Governor added.
Mbah’s departure was also driven by the PDP’s internal turmoil. The party had been bleeding internally, torn apart by a festering leadership crisis that analysts believe fast-tracked its implosion in Enugu and beyond.
The protracted legal battle over the position of the PDP National Secretary between Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye, a close Mbah ally, deepened factional fault lines. When Udeh-Okoye resigned from the PDP barely 24 hours before Mbah’s defection, the timing confirmed the final political roadblock for the crossover had been cleared.
Nigerian NewsDirect had reported that several Southeast PDP leaders issued a veiled ultimatum: unless Udeh-Okoye’s position was ratified, they would consider “all political options available.”
Meanwhile, the APC is celebrating Mbah’s entry as a historic consolidation. Party spokespersons confirmed that the Governor, along with all 17 local government chairpersons, commissioners, and councillors, has been officially issued membership cards by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
At the symbolic presentation ceremony, attended by top party figures including Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Mbah was hailed as the final piece of the puzzle in APC’s South-East expansion.
Senate President Akpabio remarked: “Governor Mbah’s decision reflects the rising confidence in President Tinubu’s leadership. The South-East can no longer be left out of national progress. Enugu has now come home.”
The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, commended Mbah for his “courageous and strategic” decision, describing the move as a progressive step that will accelerate development and entrench good governance in the state.
“We are confident that this definite political move will consolidate and accelerate development and good governance in Enugu State,” Morka stated, noting that Mbah’s leadership credentials including the recent 2025 Presidential GovTech Award demonstrated his readiness to align with the APC’s vision.
Separately, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), applauded the defection, describing the APC as the natural home for Governor Mbah’s developmental agenda.
Keyamo hailed Mbah as the “undisputed leader of Enugu APC,” expressing confidence that the move would strengthen the ruling party’s foothold in the region.
Governor Mbah’s defection has significantly reshaped the political map in the South-East, leaving only Anambra (APGA) and Abia (Labour Party) as non-APC states in the region. For Enugu, once the traditional power base of the PDP since 1999, its shift signals a profound transformation in regional political identity.