The Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has stated that the state and other states in the southeastern region of Nigeria were overlooked in support of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Mbah, who had previously been a member of the PDP, switched to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and made this statement on Tuesday morning.
“For decades, the South East – 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,” said Mbah.
On Tuesday, Mbah, who was the last PDP governor in the southeast, joined other governors in the region who had dumped the PDP, for which they had campaigned and won the 2023 elections as members.
Between 1999 and 2015, the PDP was Nigeria’s ruling party until former President Goodluck Jonathan lost to late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The PDP remained a strong opposition party from 2015 until 2025, when politicians from the PDP defected en masse to the ruling APC.
Onlookers and experts have attributed the mass defection to politicians’ fear of losing the 2027 elections and their desire to find favour with Tinubu ahead of 2027.
Mbah, however, dismissed the speculations. According to the governor, his defection was not borne out of fear, but borne out of his desire to forge a partnership between the state and the APC.
“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. Today, in joining the APC, we are embracing a visionary partnership,” he added.
