All is set for the formal defection of Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, October 14, in Enugu, the State capital.
The development was confirmed by the National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, during the swearing-in of the newly constituted Enugu State APC Caretaker Committee, led by Mr. Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Professor Yilwatda said that all arrangements have been concluded to welcome Governor Mbah into the ruling party, in what is being described as a major political realignment in the Southeast.
Speaking to journalists after his inauguration, Mr. Nwoye called the defection a “merger between transformation and renewed hope,” adding that it signals the dawn of a new political order in Enugu and across the region.
“For the past 10 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 stated.
He revealed that the governor will be joined by 260 councilors, 24 state lawmakers, members of the National Assembly, and the entire state executive council, describing it as a “historic alignment” with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Mr. Nwoye praised Governor Mbah’s leadership, noting that his economic and infrastructural reforms have positioned Enugu among Nigeria’s top five States in internally generated revenue (IGR).
He also said that the alignment of Mbah’s Transformation Agenda with the Tinubu administration’s national vision would accelerate regional growth and development.
When asked what influenced the governor’s move, Nwoye pointed to the economic revival under the Tinubu administration, particularly the doubling of state allocations, which he said has enabled States to increase investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
The APC had earlier dissolved its Enugu State Working Committee (SWC) and appointed a seven-member caretaker committee to reposition the party ahead of the defection.