It was a carnival-like scene at Okpara Square, Enugu, yesterday as Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, as well as Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and other top political figures, stormed Enugu to welcome Governor Peter Mbah and his political structure into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The rally marked Governor Mbah’s formal declaration for the APC, a move that has been described as a political earthquake in the South East, as he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with his entire cabinet, lawmakers, council chairmen and party executives.
Representing President Bola Tinubu at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima hailed Mbah’s defection as a defining moment for Ndigbo and the nation.
He said: “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.
“Now, with the coming of Governor Peter Mbah, with the continuous energy of Governor Hope Uzodimma and Governor Francis Nwifuru, I believe that Ndigbo have come back to the mainstream of Nigerian politics.”
Shettima described President Tinubu as a leader with a sense of inclusion, who rewards merit over sentiment, and said the APC had become the most formidable political party in Africa.
Turning to Governor Mbah, he said: “You are already one of us. You’re a progressive through and through. I believe you had a broom hidden in your umbrella for all these years, waiting for the right moment to bring it out.”
He formally declared Mbah the leader of the APC in Enugu State. “From our convention and constitution, the governor is the leader of the party in his state. Your Excellency, you are now the leader of the APC family in Enugu State,” he said, assuring that all Federal Government initiatives planned for the South East will certainly reach the region.
“We are one big family tied to a common destiny. Be rest assured that you will be treated justly and fairly,” Shettima added.
The Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, also lauded Mbah’s decision, describing it as a major step toward regional integration.
“Earlier this morning, the governor addressed the world and informed us of his decision to join the All Progressives Congress. 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, Bola Tinubu, is doing in Nigeria. This decision has once again strengthened our integration into national politics.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio described Mbah’s defection as the beginning of a journey that will bring more development and progress to Enugu State.
“This is a journey that will bring more development. This is a journey that will bring more progress. I am a man who believes in progress.
“The entire Senate is here. Your principal officer, Osita Ngwu, was the only PDP senator in the whole of the South East. He told me he was going with the governor wherever he was going because he is performing.
“We are all here because we are very happy. My wife is from Enugu, and my children are relocating to Enugu. What I am seeing here, this state is even more beautiful than Abuja. I think the only place that compares to it is Akwa Ibom when I was governor,” Akpabio said.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North) also commended Mbah for joining the 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.
“The Vice President has come to welcome him to a place where there is progress. You know that the whole South East has agreed to move to the APC. We are all here to honour your governor,” Kalu said.
APC National Chairman, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, described Mbah as a progressive mind who could no longer be contained in the PDP.
“Enugu State is welcome to APC. Governor Peter Mbah, thank you for taking this right decision. 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, the water, the electricity and the schools; you have touched virtually all sectors.”
He said the APC was proud to welcome Mbah and his team, describing the defection as a return home to progress and success.
“On behalf of the National Working Committee and millions of APC members, I welcome you to this family. I welcome you to progress. I welcome you to success,” Yilwatda said.
However, Mbah had earlier announced his formal defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), taking along his entire cabinet, state lawmakers, council chairmen, councillors, political appointees and over 80 percent of PDP executives in the state.
The governor made the announcement yesterday, during a press conference at the Government House, Enugu.
He described his decision as a bold but necessary step to align Enugu’s vision of transformation with the national reform agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
“Today, 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,” he said.
Expressing gratitude to the PDP for providing him the platform to emerge as governor, Mbah said his defection followed deep reflection and wide consultations.
“To the Peoples Democratic Party, 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 All Progressives Congress,” he said.
Mbah stressed 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.
“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 percent of party executives,” he declared.
He explained 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 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,” Mbah said. “It has, therefore, become necessary to seek affiliation where our interests as a region are represented in the form of fair partnership.”
The governor praised President Tinubu for what he described as visionary leadership and a willingness to make bold decisions for the nation’s progress.
“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 and communities, must be reinforced,” he said.
Mbah also highlighted his administration’s achievements over the past 28 months, including massive infrastructure expansion, improved security, revived public utilities and economic growth.
“It looks like Smart Green Schools nearing completion and primary healthcare centres in all 260 wards. It looks like crime is down by 80 percent; maternal, under five and infant mortality rates reduced by 400 percent. It looks like water flowing again through the new main and restored supply. It looks like over 1,000 kilometres of paved roads,” he said proudly.
He assured the people of Enugu that the change in party affiliation would not disrupt the ongoing projects or alter the administration’s development priorities.
“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,” he stated.
The governor described the defection as “an alignment at scale”, a move to connect Enugu’s destiny with the broader national reforms shaping Nigeria.
“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.
“Let me reassure you that 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,” he concluded.
With Mbah’s defection, political observers say the PDP’s long-standing dominance in Enugu State may have effectively come to an end, signalling a dramatic shift in the political landscape of the South East.
Credit: The Sun