By Chukwunonye Okereke
Enugu South Urban Rerun: A Referendum on Peter Mbah, PDP, and the Danger of Importing Political Baggage into APC
The just concluded Enugu South Urban State Constituency rerun election in Enugu state, won decisively by the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has sent tremors across the political landscape of Enugu State. Far beyond the outcome at the polls, the election has assumed the character of a referendum on Governor Peter Mbah, his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and their two-decade dominance of Enugu politics.
For a cosmopolitan local government like Enugu South—home to professionals, traders, intellectuals, and a politically conscious electorate—to reject the ruling PDP for the third consecutive time, the message is loud and unambiguous: the people have lost confidence in Peter Mbah’s leadership and by extension, his political future.
Governor Peter Mbah, who came into office on the back of heavy promises—reducing poverty to zero, ensuring water in Enugu within 180 days, massive job creation, digital innovation, and infrastructure renewal—has found himself unable to match rhetoric with reality. Two years down the line, Enugu residents still grapple with epileptic water supply, over-taxation, incomplete and poorly executed projects, and a governance style that seems detached from the immediate needs of the people.
The Enugu state urban constituency rerun election therefore became more than a constituency contest; it became a plebiscite on Mbah’s performance. The Labour Party’s victory, achieved despite the financial weight and machinery of PDP, underscores a seismic shift in voter behavior—a rejection of impunity, propaganda, and politics of entitlement.
Peter Mbah now faces a political identity crisis. On one hand, his PDP stronghold has collapsed in key battlegrounds. On the other, whispers of his attempts to switch allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) are gaining ground. But this raises a fundamental question: does APC need Peter Mbah, or does Mbah need APC for survival?
The answer is obvious. Mbah is seeking political refuge, not out of conviction or belief in APC’s ideology, but purely as an escape route from the growing unpopularity that threatens his relevance in Enugu politics.
APC must exercise caution of attempting to admit a governor whose party machinery has been serially rejected, and whose manifesto has failed to connect with everyday realities, it is akin to importing a liability that may pollute the system with the same weaknesses that destroyed PDP in Enugu.
Political parties thrive on credibility, ideology, and the perception of being a viable alternative. For APC to make electoral inroads in Enugu and the Southeast, it must project itself as different from PDP. Accepting Peter Mbah into its fold risks blurring that distinction and sending the wrong signal that APC is a dumping ground for rejected politicians and the rerun election has clearly shown that Enugu has rejected Mbah and PDP.
APC cannot afford to inherit the heavy baggage of unfulfilled promises, failed projects, and the image of governance disconnected from the people. A party that is already building grassroots trust must avoid aligning itself with political figure like Governor peter Mbah whose track record has been consistently repudiated by their constituents.
The rerun election is therefore not just about Labour Party’s triumph; it is a loud warning that the era of political entitlement is fading in Enugu. Citizens are demanding accountability, results, and leadership that speaks to their daily struggles.
For PDP, the defeat is sign of an end of an era of political impunity and gangsterism, For Peter Mbah, it is a personal rejection. And for APC, it is a test of strategic wisdom and deep calculation that must be consolidated. Will APC open its doors to a political passenger weighed down by baggage, or will it learn from PDP’s mistakes and protect its image as a credible alternative? APC should protect and consolidate on their gains achieved so far with the leadership of the Honorable Minister of Innovation,science and technology Chief Uche Nnaji ,whose presence at the re run election frustrated PDP attempt in rigging the election.
In the final analysis, the Enugu South rerun was more than a local election—it was a referendum. The people spoke clearly against PDP, against Peter Mbah’s underwhelming governance, and against political opportunism. APC must listen and resist the temptation to embrace a liability that may cost it credibility. The party needs leaders who can build, not those who have destroyed.
The Enugu South voters have shown that when citizens reject a leader three times, it is not by accident—it is by conviction.
