Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Political landscape in Enugu State is begining to shake ahead of the 2027 general election.
This is evidenced by the gale of defections that have hit the different political parties in the state over the past 24 hours.
The Former Governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Honourable Chijioke Edeoga set the stage last month when he abandoned the party that made him one of the most popular politicians in the state to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in what many viewed as a joke taken too far.
Again just recently, the former state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Ben Nwoye, resigned from the party in a move many saw as solidarity with Governor Peter Mbah and a subtle surrender to the more powerful forces within the party.
However, what has ignited controversy and analytical discourse in the political circles in the state now is the defection of three labour party lawmakers in one fell swoop to the ruling PDP in the state.
A member of the state House of Assembly and two Federal House of Representatives lawmakers from the LP defected to the ruling PDP.
Again just on Friday morning a strong and prominent member of the PDP announced his resignation from the party.
The returnee lawmakers include the member representing Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Hon. Dennis Agbo, and his counterpart in Igbo-Eze South/Nsukka Federal Constituency, Hon Mark Chidi Obetta, while Hon Malachi Onyechi, representing Nsukka West state constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, jumped from the LP to the PDP.
Giving reasons for their decisions, the trio claimed that Governor Peter Mbah had made opposition in the state very difficult with his outstanding performance in all the critical sectors in the state’s economy.
The lawmakers, who claimed they were glad watching the governor run a transparent, honest and inclusive governance, explained that with their defection the Labour Party in Enugu North Senatorial District, also known as Nsukka Zone, had ceased to exist.
Taking turns to speak during their formal reception at the PDP secretariat in Enugu on Thursday, Hon Agbo lauded Governor Mbah for his visionary approach to leadership, which he noted was already transforming the state in areas of education, security, healthcare services, and other infrastructure.
He said that with the large numbers of supporters that had joined PDP with them, Labour Party had nothing remaining in the senatorial zone.
“I say this because Hon Chidi Obetta, Hon Martins Oke representing Igboetiti/Uzo Uwani federal constituency, and myself also representing Igbo-Eze North/Udenu federal constituency, and all the House of Assembly members are with us in one place.
“These are the foot soldiers. We are saying that opposition is very difficult in Enugu now.
“It is very difficult because one man has made it a mission impossible, and that is the performance of Governor Mbah.
“And so, let me thank the superlative performing governor for his visionary leadership.
“He can see very far. With the Smart Schools, he has seen the next generation, and he is preparing the children of Enugu State to participate in that future. There are so many things that he is doing,” Agbo said.
On his part, Hon Obetta described his return to PDP as a homecoming, saying they had a conviction to return to the party because of Mbah’s leadership and how the state was becoming a reference point for development.
“My return to the PDP is predicated on the tenets of the development indices we are seeing in Enugu today; the man is too much,” he said.
Obeta outlined Mbah’s perceived remarkable achievements in the area of roads infrastructure, transportation, tourism and hospitality, as well as education.
The lawmaker pointed out that the 260 Smart Schools under construction translated to over 7000 technology-driven classrooms throughout the 260 electoral wards across the state.
“In healthcare sector, Governor Mbah is performing magic. Type-2 healthcare centres all over the 260 wards of Enugu State.
“In the area of hospitality, he is equally performing wonders. Look at the Presidential Hotel. Enugu is going to have a 5-star hotel for the first time.
“That is to tell you that he is touching every aspect of our lives.
“The bottom line is that the reason why some of us have decided to return to the PDP is that Governor Peter Mbah is showing us the way. Some of the plans we have for the state can only be achieved if we partner and collaborate with him,” Obeta said.
Speaking, Hon Onyechi said he was one of the founding members of the PDP in the state in 1999 and has returned to his true home because of the giant strides the governor was making in the state.
According to him, Governor Mbah was the first governor to domicile projects worth over N2 billion in each of the electoral wards, explaining why they decided to work closely with him.
Receiving the defectors, the State Chairman of PDP, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike, assured them that the governor would continue to deliver and run an all-inclusive administration.
He expressed confidence that, with the gale of returnees to the party, the 2027 elections in the state would be a walkover for the PDP.
He said this was made possible by the governor’s performances, declaring an end to the repeat of 2023 elections.
Chukwunweike said that the party was now positioned to sweep the state in 2027, because of what the governor was doing in the state.
“Just like they all said that it is because of our governor’s performance, we know that the governor has performed very well and in the coming term, he will do more than what he has done.
“In the next few weeks, he will be doing his second anniversary in office and we expect that all of us are going to be there,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a twist a former Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Samuel Ngwu, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The resignation letter, which was made available to newsmen on Friday in Enugu and personally signed by him and addressed to the Ward Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umunevo Ward 2 in Enugu North Local Government Area in Enugu State, was also copied to the State Chairman of PDP, Enugu State, Dr Martin Chukwunweike.
The letter reads in part: “This is to notify you of my resignation from the PDP with effect from 28 day of April, 2025.
“I thank the Stakeholders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for according me the opportunity to serve my state.”
Ngwu, who was a senatorial aspirant I Enugu East Senatorial district in the 2011 general election said his decision was personal to him.
Apart from being a Commissioner between 2015 and 2017 and Senatorial Aspirant, Ngwu was also PDP Enugu State National Delegate between 2011 and 2014 and PDP Federal House of Representative Aspirant in 2014 General Elections.
Speaking to Ikengaonline on telephone, the Chairman of LP in the State, Barrister Casmir Agbo, described the defectors as of now consequence to the party.
“You don’t lose what you don’t have; we never had them in the first place.
“Since their election they have never contributed anything to the party.
“First they created a fraction to enable them move out of the party; so, we are not troubled as we are also expecting defectors from other parties,” Agbo said.
