Today’s expected defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the beginning of another gale of movement into the ruling party by governors.
Mbah, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is moving to the ruling party with House of Assembly members, councillors, chairmen of councils and others.
His exit from the PDP will be followed by that of Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri, whose defection, it was learnt, had been finalised.
“He will move into the APC in a matter of days,” an official of his government said last night.
Another PDP governor of the Northeast has hinted at his movement to the APC.
“He is waiting for the final sorting out of details”, one of the governor’s aides told The Nation last night.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Obvwevori and Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno moved to the ruling party with all their officials and appointees earlier in the year.
But Deputy Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, dismissed the PDP Governors’ defection.
He believes the party will not be distracted ahead of its next month’s convention in Ibadan.
Enugu will be aglow today with the presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, leading a strong delegation including APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Abbas Tajudeen to the Coal City to present the APC flag to their new member.
Political leaders, traditional rulers and Enugu chieftains of the pan-Igbo group, Ohanaeze, yesterday rose in support of Mbah’s defection, hinging the move on the inability of the PDP to manage its achievements in the Southeast.
Ohanaeze Vice President Prof. Fred Eze and National Treasurer, Dr. Peter Eke, said in a statement that the defection would not affect the governor’s second-term ambition.
They applauded Mbah “for taking the bold step of joining the ruling APC,” adding that “this decision is both thoughtful and timely, considering the compelling need to attract more federal government projects to Enugu.”
They also reiterated the group’s commitment to governorship zoning in the spirit of fairness and justice.
They stressed: “We remain committed to upholding the long-standing zoning tradition for the office of the governor, in the spirit of equity, fairness, and justice in Enugu State.”
The Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu, said the governor had earned national respect through his “trailblazing performance and grassroots-oriented governance” in the past 26 months.
“The traditional rulers and people of Enugu State have absolute trust in his judgment,” he said.
“Our support for the governor’s decision is blind to party lines.”
The ALGON Chairman in Enugu State, Okechukwu Edeh, said residents were ready to follow the governor’s political direction.
“Governor Peter Mbah is the political party Enugu knows today,” he said.
“We believe this is a wise decision, given that our voices no longer count in the other party.”
Former Enugu PDP Chairman Augustine Nnamani said he was not surprised by the mass exit, accusing the PDP of “mistreating and betraying the Southeast” by refusing to recognise Udeh-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.
He said: “The PDP chose a few people in Abuja over the Southeast.
“Mbah’s exit is in line with our region’s earlier resolution to leave the party if our choice was not respected.”
With Mbah’s defection, the APC now controls three of the five Southeast states, while the remaining two are held by the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The PDP, once dominant in the region, now controls none.