Governor Mbah set to join the APC

All is set for a major political shake-up in Enugu State as Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah prepares to formally defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor’s planned defection is expected to redraw the Southeast political landscape and end Enugu’s decade-long stay in the opposition.

The development was confirmed on Friday at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja during a press briefing by the newly inaugurated Enugu State Caretaker Committee, led by Dr. Ben Nwoye.

Speaking shortly after his inauguration, Nwoye described Mbah’s impending defection as “a merger between transformation and renewed hope,” declaring it as the dawn of a new political era for Enugu and the Southeast region.

“For the past ten 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,” Nwoye said.

According to him, the defection will signal a “historic alignment” as Mbah will be joined by 260 councilors, 24 state lawmakers, National Assembly members, and the entire state executive council—an unprecedented political realignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Where Enugu goes, the Southeast goes. This marks the beginning of the Southeast’s political reawakening and full integration into national politics,” Nwoye said confidently.

He praised Governor Mbah’s performance in office, noting that his economic and infrastructural reforms had elevated Enugu to one of Nigeria’s top-performing states in internally generated revenue.

He added that the synergy between Mbah’s Transformation Agenda and President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Vision would accelerate development and economic growth across the Southeast.

Mbah is expected to join the APC alongside elected national and state legislators, members of the state executive, and party leaders from the ward and local government levels across the state.

Earlier, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and Deputy National Chairman (South), Hon. Emma Eneukwu, who inaugurated the seven-man caretaker committee for the party in Enugu State, hinted that the move aligns with ongoing efforts to strengthen the APC’s foothold in the Southeast.

The APC National Working Committee (NWC) had earlier dissolved the Enugu State Working Committee (SWC) on Thursday and appointed a seven-member caretaker committee to oversee the party’s affairs in the state.