The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be heading for yet another storm as Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah appears to have finalised moves to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) next week.
The Chairman of Enugu State APC caretaker committee, Dr. Ben Nwoye, disclosed this yesterday, in Abuja, after the inauguration of his committee by the National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
But in a swift reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, urged members of the party to stay focused, adding, ”we recognise that, and we just want to tell our members, stay focused, and don’t fret. Don’t be afraid. We’re moving ahead as a party, and we’ll do well.”
The likely move by Mbah, coming amid deepening cracks within the leading opposition party, has sent shockwaves through its ranks in the South-East. With Mbah’s exit looming, the PDP’s grip on the region appears to be slipping faster than ever.
Following Thursday’s dissolution of the State Working Committee of the APC in Enugu, Mbah is expected to defect to the APC next Tuesday.
Mbah is expected to join the ruling party alongside elected national and state legislators, members of the state executive, and party leaders from ward and local government levels across the state.
It was learnt that the failure of the PDP to ratify Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as South East’s choice to complete the remaining tenure Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had won the party’s ticket and flew the party’s flag in the November 2023 Imo governorship election, which had pitted the party and its South East caucus, was one of the reasons for Mbah’s probable defection.
In their communique after the South East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting at Government House, Enugu, on May 14, the South East PDP had warned that it was fed up and might leave the party if it failed to ratify Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary for the umpteenth time.
“In the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the communique read by the South East Zonal Chairman of the party, Chief Ali Odefa had stated.
On the occasion, former Senate President and Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees , Senator Adolphus Wabara, had decried the trampling of South East PDP despite the region’s loyalty to the party since its formation in 1998.
Speaking further, Nwoye stated: “For the past 10 years, Enugu State has remained in opposition. But all that will change on Tuesday, the 14th of October, 2024, when the governor will be declaring for APC.
“And the Governor is not coming alone. The Governor is coming in with 260 ward councillors. They will be declaring with the Governor. He will be coming in with the 24 members of House of Assembly. He will be coming in with members of the National Assembly. He will also be coming with the entire Exco.”
Earlier, Yilwatda told members of the caretaker committee that he understood the fact that they would have to rebuild the party in the state.
His words: “We know the challenges that we’re in, the need to rebuild the party, to keep the party, to refocus the party, to ensure that the party expands. Expansion in terms of membership.
“We want to see the number of people that we have in APC increase under your leadership. Not forgetting the members that we have in APC. You can’t throw away what you have because you want to go and get what you don’t have. We must maintain our members, who have laboured, who have suffered, who have built the party, who have sustained. We are the building block of the party. We must be sustained, we must be kept, we must be nurtured, we must be honoured. That’s what keeps this party together.
“Secondly, APC is a home to all. The person who came yesterday, the person who came today, the person who will come tomorrow, and the person who will come next tomorrow will have equal rights and equal access, based on our Constitution.
“The NWC has to follow due process in dissolving the state’s working committee. Ensure that all legal processes are followed. “
The chairman added that ahead of the 2027 elections, the ruling party wants to ensure that it records overwhelming success.
But reacting to the likely defection by the Enugu State Governor, Ologunagba said, “We’ve gone through this way before, but the foundation of the PDP is strong, solid and based on the people. And that’s why we have reasons to believe that we are the only truly democratic party in this country, that is based on ideas, that is based on convictions, and is based on policies.
”It’s on record here in this country that vice-presidents of this country left this party. We have presidents from this country, under this platform, that have shown interest of leaving the party. But the party remains. So that is the message to Nigeria.
”This is a party built on ideals, and those ideals are based on the people. And that’s why every day Nigerians are excited about what we’re doing. You come into this secretariat every day, you see a lot of people, people that are not even party members.
“So you ask if we’re concerned, yes, we’re concerned as a political party, but we are not deterred. Because, like I said, and I will refer to that again, the train for the 2025 elective convention of the PDP figuratively has arrived at the Ibadan.
”The defections that you see, if you want to go Biblical, it says, the Egyptians you see today, you see them no more. The APC that is orchestrating all of this, through intimidation, through coercion, through blackmail, by 2027, Nigeria shall see them no more.
“’So that’s where I’ll end with that question. Nigerians know that the PDP is actually their hope, and we’re excited with the enthusiasm and the kind of feedback we get before we do a particular reference to our convention.
“So we just want to tell our members, stay focused, and don’t fret. Don’t be afraid. We’re moving ahead as a party, and we’ll do well. ”, the PDP spokesman stated
