By Oluwasore Alabi
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The move was made in a Tuesday press conference in Enugu, during which Mbah stated that the decision was driven by a need to advance the interest of the state and belong to a national vision for development and growth.
Mbah’s defection is a remarkable political realignment within the South-East, hitherto a PDP-loyal zone. His exit, backed by that of his immediate predecessor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, members of state and federal legislatures, and a host of political leaders, is a choreographed realignment that can reshape Enugu State’s political landscape long before 2027.
Speaking in his address, Mbah said he perceived in President Bola Tinubu “a partner in purpose,” painting the APC leader as a man who is willing to make “tough choices” for Nigeria’s prosperity. He emphasized that it was not a spontaneous action but a result of intense reflection and collective consensus of Enugu’s political leadership.
But Mbah’s move has elicited mixed reactions. While some see it as a master stroke to draw federal attention and bring in development for the state, others have identified it as a survival move in the political arena, one that holds access to power higher than principle. The fact that he defected, nearly halfway through his first term, raises many questions regarding loyalty and ideological consistency.
The South-East has, for decades now, complained about marginalization at the national level. Mbah’s deflection can be interpreted as a move to fill that gap by switching sides to the party in power. But it also accentuates the Nigerian political culture of party-hopping, where leaders switch allegiances not due to conviction, but expediency.
The assertion by the governor that the PDP had disrespected the interests of the region might be true, but his recent embrace of the APC might be due to the politicians’ penchant for seeking closeness to power instead of organizing ideological cohesiveness within opposition parties.
However, if Mbah’s defection is actually conceived in vision to drive development, he will have to prove it with results. Enugu citizens will not judge him by his party but by the magnitude of progress they see in governance, infrastructure, and security.
Ultimately, Governor Peter Mbah’s defection might either usher in a new page of opportunity for Enugu or solidify the notion that Nigerian politics operates less from vision than expediency. Only time will tell which it is.
