…VP Lays to Rest Conflict Between Defecting Govs and Party “Landlords.”
…Hails Mbah’s Defection to APC
By Franklin Adole
Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday declared that defecting governors automatically become the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in their respective states, as he formally received Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah into the ruling party.
Shettima, who spoke at a grand rally held at Okpara Square, Enugu, said Mbah’s entry into the APC marked a major political realignment in the South-East and signaled the region’s full return to the mainstream of Nigerian politics. He was joined by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and several governors and ministers.
Addressing the crowd, Shettima said: “As far as the APC constitution and convention are concerned, the governor is the leader of the party in the state. Your Excellency, you are now the leader of the APC family in Enugu State. I am the Vice President, but the leader of our party in Borno is Governor Babagana Zulum. The Senate President is the number three citizen, but the leader of our party in Akwa Ibom is Governor Umo Eno. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the number four citizen, but the leader of the party in Kaduna State is its governor.”
He praised Mbah’s decision to join the APC, describing him as a “progressive at heart” who had long shared the ideals of the ruling party. “You have always been one of us. I am convinced you had a broom hidden under your umbrella all these years, waiting for the right moment to bring it out,” Shettima quipped, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The Vice President described the Igbos as “the Nigerian Jews — geographically mobile, economically enterprising, and educationally ambitious,” and lamented that the South-East had been on the margins of Nigerian politics for over a decade. “But with the coming of Peter Mbah, and the continuing energy of Governors Hope Uzodinma and Francis Nwifuru, I believe the Ndigbo have now come to the mainstream of national leadership,” he said.
Shettima assured the people of the South-East that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration would be fair and inclusive, saying: “President Tinubu is a man whose word is his bond. His capacity to listen, his belief in merit over sentiment, and his inclusive spirit have made the APC the most formidable political movement in Africa. You are welcome to a family where justice, equity, and progress are the foundation.”
Earlier in a statewide broadcast, Governor Mbah said his defection was driven by deep internal divisions within the PDP and the need to connect Enugu State to the government at the centre. He said, “Today, we have made the decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress. Leadership sometimes demands difficult, even painful decisions in the service of higher principles. There always comes a time when one must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.”
The governor, who left the PDP alongside his predecessor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, several state and federal lawmakers, and members of the State Executive Council, said he was motivated by the desire to bring federal presence and development to Enugu. “For decades, the South-East stood behind the PDP, but our voices were too often disregarded. I am joining a visionary partnership, and in President Bola Tinubu, I see a leader who shares our vision that transformation must be disruptive,” Mbah said.
Among those present at the rally were former Enugu governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Sullivan Chime, as well as members of the Enugu APC leadership and Ohanaeze Ndigbo representatives.
Reactions to the defection were swift. Hon. Obiajulu Ugwu, member representing Enugu South in the State House of Assembly, hailed the move as “bold and strategic,” saying it would “bring more federal presence and development to Enugu.” The Chairman of Igbo-Etiti Local Government, Dr. Eric Odo, also described it as “a step in the right direction that will create more opportunities for young people through collaboration with the federal government.”
However, some PDP loyalists expressed disappointment. Mr. John Ugwu, a party member from Enugu East, said Mbah’s defection was “a betrayal of trust and an act of political opportunism.” He insisted that “the PDP remains strong and will continue to serve as a credible opposition in the state.”
Political observers say Mbah’s defection — alongside that of his predecessor Ugwuanyi — marks a watershed moment in Enugu’s political history, reshaping alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections and consolidating the APC’s growing influence in the South-East.