Crisis Hits Enugu PDP Ahead of Gov Mba’s Defection

A major crisis is hitting the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State as the governor, Peter Mbah, prepares to leave the party. He is set to lead a move to the ruling All Progressives Congress this week.

The newly inaugurated Enugu State APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, confirmed the development. He said Governor Mbah, all his appointees and the entire state’s political structure would officially be received into the party.

Nwoye described the defection as the dawn of a new political era, calling it “a merger between transformation and renewed hope.” He stated, “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.” 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.

Nwoye said, “Where Enugu goes, the Southeast goes. This marks the beginning of the Southeast’s political reawakening and full integration into national politics.” The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, charged the new party leadership in the state to consolidate the defection into a “lasting political conquest,” adding, “Our goal is simple: to expand, to win, and to deliver overwhelming victory in 2027.”

Meanwhile, the PDP had blamed the wave of defections on the APC, with its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, accusing the ruling party of engaging in “intimidation, through coercion, through blackmail.”

In response, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, dismissed the claim, insisting the PDP was crying over a self-inflicted problem. He said, “The PDP is the sole maker of its own political predicament,” and that members leaving are doing so “to mitigate against the devastating fate that Nigerians will deal the party in the upcoming 2027 elections.”