FELIX NWANERI writes on Governor Peter Mbah’s recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC), which marked an end to PDP’s long-standing dominance in Enugu State as well as signaled a dramatic shift in the political landscape of the South-East

As the fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continue to diminish ahead of the 2027 general election, the party suffered what could be described as the biggest blow since the gale of defections rocking it of late, following the defection of Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The main opposition party had earlier lost two of its governors – Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) to the ruling party but Mbah’s defection seemed to be more significant because it marked PDP’s loss of its major power base – the South-East geopolitical zone – to the APC. Mbah, who took along his entire cabinet, state lawmakers, council chairmen, councillors, political appointees and over 80 per cent of PDP executives in the state, said his defection followed deep reflection and wide consultations.

Describing his decision as a bold but necessary step to align Enugu’s vision of transformation with the national reform agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Mbah added that the defection was not a personal or isolated move but a collective one involving virtually all arms of government and party leadership in the state.

His words: “Today (October 14), I stand before you to announce a break from the past and to share a decision that will shape the road ahead. This concerns our values, how we organise ourselves politically and how we secure the future of our projects and our people.

“To the PDP, which provided the platform on which we campaigned and won, I extend deep gratitude. The PDP supported us through a demanding campaign and joined in celebrating the victory. 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. Today, after long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the PDP and join the APC.

“This is no whimsical decision. It’s 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 and councillors, all political appointees and over 80 per cent of party executives.” He noted that the South East, particularly Enugu, had for decades shown unwavering loyalty to the PDP but had not always been fairly represented when it mattered most.

For decades, the SouthEast, 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

“For decades, the SouthEast, 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.

We are not moving from a place of resentment or fear. We are confident of our future. 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.” On the need for Enugu and the South-East to align with the centre, Mbah said: “Today, in joining the APC, we are embracing a visionary partnership.

I have found in President Bola 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. “Together, we share a conviction that transformation must be bold and disruptive – that roads, railways, and airlines must stretch out from the heart of the South East; that Enugu’s promise, its security, its schools, its hospitals, its markets, its communities – must be reinforced.

“The President has shown not only interest, but a deep and vested commitment to Enugu, one that recognizes our region as a pillar of national progress. We both share a belief that renewal does not stop at the grand highways or the balance sheets. It must reach the ward, the village, our grassroots. It is in the daily life of the farmer, the trader, the young entrepreneur that reforms come alive.

“We both welcome initiatives that decentralize opportunity, that strengthen the capacity of local government, that bring seed capital and credit to our youth, and that expand healthcare and education at the community level. “Just as we do in our ward-based development initiatives, these convictions are boldly expressed in the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, an idea conceived to empower over 8.8 million Nigerians across the country’s 8,809 electoral wards.

“Yes, 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. “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.” Governor Mbah, who acknowledged that his political move will throw up issues questions over how the voice of Enugu would be now heard in Abuja; how the change will affect progress at home and how will lives be touched by this decision, admonished the people not to entertain any fear.

His words: “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. “To Ndi Enugu, let me say this: this will not break our stride.

We are a force of endeavour, and we need an ally who can match our ambition. Let me reassure you; this is not a detour, but a conscious step towards a more compelling future. “As we begin this new chapter, I ask for your understanding, your trust, and your continued support. Let us gather with renewed hope to build the Enugu and the Nigeria that our children deserve.”

APC upbeat over new standing in South-East

As it stands, the APC now controls three states of the South-East – Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu – while APGA and LP are in charge in Anambra and Abia, respectively, and many see this as reason for the euphoria in the camp of the ruling party ahead of the 2027 presidential election given the move by opposition leaders, led by Atiku and Obi under the aegis of African Democratic Congress (ADC) to unseat the APC.

For instance, President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shetimma, commended Mbah over his decision to join the ruling party, not only described the development as a defining moment for Ndigbo and the nation, but signifies the coming of the South-East to Nigeria’s mainstream politics.

His words: “Today is a great day in our great nation; indeed, a great day for 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.”

The Vice President, however, expressed the belief that “with the coming of Governor Peter Mbah; with the continuous energy being exhibited by Governor Hope Uzodimma and Governor Francis Nwifuru, I believe that Ndigbo have come to the mainstream of Nigerian politics.” He added: “I want to assure you that President Tinubu, our leader, is a man for all seasons and all people. A man who has a sense of inclusion, a rare capacity to listen and believe in merit over sentiments, has made the APC the most formidable political party in Africa.

“To Governor Mbah, let me say this, you are already one of us. You’re a progressive through and through, and I believe you had a broom hidden in your umbrella for all these years, waiting for the right moment to bring it out. “I want to assure all of you that you are very much welcome in the APC and we’re one big family.

I want you to be rest assured that you’ll be treated justly and fairly and all the Federal Government initiatives that have been planned for the South-East will certainly reach the South-East.” The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who also spoke at the welcome rally, thanked Governor Mbah for taking the right decision, saying: “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. Mbah have built new roads. The infrastructure you built speaks so loudly. We saw the water, the electricity, the education sector. He has touched virtually all aspects in Enugu State. “That is why we need him to come back to the progressive side, so that he can help to expand the Renewed Hope Agenda, so that it can reach the grassroots.

Therefore, on behalf of the National Working Committee and millions of members of the APC, I welcome you to this family. I welcome you to APC. I welcome you to success”. The chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who also lauded Mbah’s decision, described it as a major step towards integration of the South-East into national politics.

In the last 10 to 12 years, Ndigbo, one of the most vibrant tribes in Africa have been at the margins of Nigerian politics. P11: With the coming of Mbah…I believe that Ndigbo have come to the mainstream of Nigerian politics

“Earlier this morning, the governor addressed the world and informed us of his decision to join the APC. 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 is doing in Nigeria.

This decision has once again strengthened our integration into national politics,” Uzodimma said. A former governor of Abia State and senator representing Abia North, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, also commended Mbah for joining the APC, which he described as a train of progress.

“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 the APC,” he said. “The Vice President has come to welcome him to a place where there is progress. You know that the whole of South East has agreed to move to the APC. We are all here to honour your governor,” Kalu added.

Rise and fall of PDP in South-East

The PDP which was founded in August 1998, by members of numerous groups and organisations, including the G-18 and G-34 ahead of Nigeria’s return to civil rule, won the governorship elections in all the five states of the South-East – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo – in the 1999 general election that ushered in the present political dispensation – Fourth Republic.

The party reenacted the feat in the 2003 elections. However, its fortunes in the zone witnessed a setback in the 2007 elections, as the Peoples Progressive Alliance (PPA) founded by the then governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, took over Imo and Abia states.

The PDP, which was then the ruling party at the centre, had before the 2007 elections, lost the governorship of Anambra State to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) through the court in 2006. The party’s loss in Imo and Abia in 2007, however, turned out to be temporary, when Ikedi Ohakim and Theodore Orji, who won the respective states on the platform of the PPA later defected to the PDP.

Consequently, the then ruling party at the centre had four south eastern states – Imo, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu until 2011, when it lost Imo to APGA. With that development, PDP and APGA became the dominant parties in the South-East. The former had three states – Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, while the latter had two states – Anambra and Imo.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that held sway in the South-West at that time, however, made inroad into the South-East, especially in Anambra State, where it won a senatorial seat through a former governor of the state, Dr. Chris Ngige as well as pockets of House of Representatives and state Assembly seats.

While many argued post-2011 elections that another party would find it difficult to make incursion into Igbo land, the defection of then Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, from APGA to APC upon its formation in 2013, opened the window for the party to win Imo in the 2015 elections. APC is the product of a merger deal between then main opposition parties – ACN, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of APGA led by Okorocha, who at that time described the party as the fastest political vehicle for the realisation of a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction.

Having won the governorship of Imo State and pockets of legislative seats in the South-East as well as the presidency after 16 years unbroken rule of the PDP in the 2015 elections, APC chieftains in the South-East became more optimistic that their party would win more states of the zone in the 2019 general election.

Their hope was, however, dashed as PDP not only retained Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi, but regained Imo through a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. But politics, being a game of the possible in which nothing is foreclosed, the Supreme Court annulled PDP’s victory in Imo State and declared APC’s candidate, Hope Uzodimma, as winner of the election.

How 2023 politics deepened mistrust The twist in Imo and APC’s victory in three out of the 15 senatorial districts of the South-East as well as pockets of House of Representatives and states Assembly seats the party won mainly in Imo and Abia in the 2019 elections, which many described as an appreciable result compared to that of 2015, when the party was almost rejected in the zone, opened the zone’s political space in zone for grab ahead of the 2023 general election.

Most APC chieftains in the SouthEast, who boasted then that their party had what it takes to sweep the zone in the 2023 elections, predicate their belief on the assumption that one of their kinsmen is likely to emerge the presidential candidate, others stemmed their conviction on what the zone benefited in terms of infrastructure from the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration compared to PDP’s years in power.

While these suppositions were subject of debate among Ndigbo depending on which side of the political divide they found themselves at that time, the belief that the battle for the political soul of the South-East between APC and PDP in the 2023 would be interesting was further strengthened, when the then governor of Ebonyo State, Dave Umahi, dumped the PDP for APC.

Umahi stated then that he left the PDP to protest the injustice it meted to the South-East. He particularly decried that the people of the SouthEast remained faithful to PDP and voted for its candidates in all elections, but were not treated fairly by the party. His words then: “Since 1998, the people of the South-East have supported PDP in all elections; at a time the five states in the SouthEast were all PDP.

One of the founding members of PDP, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the late former vicepresident, was from the South-East, so it is absurd that since 1998 going to 2023, the South-East will never be considered to run for presidency under the ticket of the PDP. “It is very absurd and this is my position and it will continue to be my position, it has nothing to do with me. I am not driven by selfish interests but because we need to protest against marginalisation. We have benefited more from the APC government. I didn’t start this protest today. I have no regrets over my decision to join the APC.

In life, you have to be courageous.” “I want to clear the air that I didn’t ask for PDP’s presidential ticket and I will not. So, anybody saying that I have gone to the APC because PDP didn’t zone its presidential ticket to me is being mischievous because even if PDP promises an individual the presidential ticket, how does it work, when over 8,000 delegates will be electing the candidate of the party.”

The then governor of Ebonyi State (now Minister of Works), did not just berate the PDP, he declared during his formal declaration for the APC that the entire South-East will soon move out of the PDP as the people of the zone are tired of empty promises by the main opposition party. “The South-East as known today will all move to APC. We have to launch out to the centre, we are tired of empty promises, we want action now,” he said.

While the PDP boasted then that its fortunes in the South-East remained intact and that the party will not succumb to blackmail of injustice against the zone raised by Umahi, which it described as provocative, some political stakeholders warned that the people of the South-East may jettison their traditional political inclinations and back any party that zones its 2023 presidential ticket to their zone.

The warning was against the backdrop of the insistence then by most political stakeholders that power should shift to the South after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari and that the two major parties – APC and PDP –should zone their respective presidential tickets to the southern part of the country given the zoning arrangement between the North and South.

Chief Chekwas Okorie, a chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in his reaction to Umahi’s defection to the APC then, told New Telegraph that the move would clear the way for what may soon turn out to be a gale of unprecedented political defections in the South-East in favour of the ruling party. His words: “Nobody expected the PDP with its well established disdain for Ndigbo to spare a thought for the Igbo quest for the presidency of Nigeria on its platform. The PDP from its inception has always taken Ndigbo for granted.

Any PDP stalwart from the South-East who is genuinely and honestly in support of the much orchestrated clamour for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction must align with the ebullient, courageous, pragmatic and patriotic Dave Umahi. Such personalities must stand now to be counted.

“If the National leadership of the PDP could meet at Abuja to seal the fate of Ndigbo, including dissolving the South-East Zonal Executive of the party without consultation, I do not see reason why the South-East Caucus of the party should not urgently convene an extraordinary meeting to take their political destiny in their own hands. This is the minimum leadership obligation they owe their members who are obviously confused at this time.” On how PDP administrations wronged the South-East, Okorie said:

“No project of whatever size was ever started and completed by the PDP in the South-East in all of the 16 years it ruled Nigeria. Who would believe that it was the Private Public Power (PPP) project in Aba, Abia State, started by the Buhari administration and commissioned in 2018 that is the first federal project started and completed by any Nigerian government since the war ended in 1970.

As for the alleged plot to capture the SouthEast, we are not in a military time when you capture people. If you are a leader,. you should do the right things for the people to follow you. So, I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere

The under-development and subsequent abandonment of the sea and river ports in the Eastern coast lines were part of the deliberate policies of the PDP to annihilate the people of the former Eastern Nigeria, economically, politically and socially.” The Director of Planning and Strategy for Pan Nigerian President of Igbo Extraction (PANPIE), Hon. Pat Anyanwu, who spoke in like manner at that time, said any party that identifies with the core interest and current aspiration of the average Igbo man in Nigeria will get the support of the zone. His words: “The problem we’ve had in the region is that we always approach politics with emotion and unprofitable sentiments.

But the truth remains that the biggest currency in politics is interest and not emotions or sentiments. Once your interest is accommodated you can justify whatever political leaning you choose. “There is no gainsaying the fact, the party that offers Ndigbo its presidential ticket will get the massive vote haul of the Igbo nation wherever we are in the country.

I must also add that there is nothing like ‘traditional party of the region.’ There is no such thing if that same party does not find us fit to fly its presidential flag in 2023. While the APC, whether deliberately or not played the zoning game that led to the emergence of Tinubu (a south westerner) as its presidential candidate, the PDP’s decision to throw open the contest for its ticket, led to emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (a northerner).

Perhaps, the outcome of the presidential primary elections of both parties, with no south easterner as candidate despite the clamour by Ndigbo it was time for one of their own to lead the country in the spirit of equity and fairness as no Igbo man has been president in the last 50 years, partly explained the dynamics that shaped the 2023 presidential election as well as the governorship polls in the South-East.

Recall that Peter Obi (a south easterner) resigned his membership of PDP at the eve of the party’s presidential primary and joined Labour Party (LP), which he emerged as its presidential candidate, and for the time since 1999, Nigeria witnessed a three-horse presidential election in which Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State emerged tops with 8.7 million votes to defeat his closest rivals, Atiku (6.9 million votes) and Obi (6.1 million votes).

In the governorship elections that held in three of the five states of the South-East during the general election, the PDP won in Enugu, while losing Abia for the first time to Labour Party. The APC, on its part, retained Ebonyi. The ruling party also won Imo State in the November 2023 off-cycle governorship election.

Between realignment and capturing

While many are still wondering whether the people of the South-East have finally jettisoned the PDP and embraced the APC. Peter Obi, in his reaction to the ruling party’s takeover of Enugu State, said ongoing defections by state governors in the South-East cannot guarantee the political capture of the zone.

In a statement by his media team, the 2023 presidential candidate of the LP, explained that Nigeria is currently a democracy and not under military rule where states can be “captured.” According to him, the people will ultimately decide where to go, not governors or senators, and that no party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor.

His words: “Peter Mbah is a good friend of mine, and I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations. As for the alleged plot to capture the SouthEast, we are not in a military time when you capture people. “If you are a leader, you should do the right things for the people to follow you.

So, I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere. The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it.” But allaying fears that it has captured South-East with the recent defections in the zone, the Lagos State chapter of the APC, through its spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, said Ndigbo are voluntarily realigning with national politics with the defections. “Let it be made clear: the APC is not capturing the South-East.

The zone is voluntarily aligning with the national mainstream because Nigerians are done with emotional blackmail, and divisive politics “The people of the South-East deserve inclusion, infrastructure, and investment, not empty crusades and sentimental activism. Politicians must be reminded that power is not served à la carte. It is earned through structure, consistency, and the ability to build bridges across the federation,” Oladejo said.

Noting that the recent defections of key political figures in the SouthEast to APC had shown that the zone is not in the pocket of any politician, the Lagos APC spokesperson added: “Divisive and religious politics no longer have a place in a country that is finally embracing unity and progress under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. That’s the new reality.”

No doubt, the ruling party is not leaving anything to chance in its bid to take over the entire South-East in the forthcoming general election, but analysts believe that emerging political trend in the zone and the country in general will make the 2027 polls more interesting than that of 2023.