Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is on the verge of leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), according to multiple sources familiar with ongoing political consultations.
Barring any last-minute changes, Mbah’s defection, which insiders say is now at an advanced stage, will further reduce PDP’s control to just nine states.
These include Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, and Zamfara, with Rivers already under APC influence through former governor Nyesom Wike, a PDP member serving in the APC-led federal government.
The APC, meanwhile, will extend its control to 24 states nationwide, with only Abia (Labour Party), Anambra (APGA), and Kano (NNPP) remaining under other opposition parties.
Sources revealed that Mbah has held extensive consultations with political allies and stakeholders both in Enugu and Abuja in recent weeks over his planned defection. Former governors Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime, along with former Senate President Ken Nnamani — all now key APC stalwarts — are said to have played pivotal roles in persuading him to switch allegiance.
According to insiders, the final round of consultations is expected to conclude this week, after which Mbah and his team will announce a formal date for his defection.
The governor reportedly cited two main reasons for his planned departure. First, he expressed frustration with the PDP’s persistent internal crises, which he believes pose a significant threat to anyone hoping to contest the 2027 elections under the party’s platform. Second, he lamented what he sees as the marginalisation of the Southeast within the PDP’s leadership structure.
Recall that in, Mbah threatened to lead the party’s Southeast bloc out of the PDP after the national leadership retained Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary instead of Sunday Udeh-Okoye, the preferred candidate of the zone. The leadership ignored the threat and reinstated Anyanwu, a close ally of Wike, further fuelling Mbah’s dissatisfaction.
When contacted, Mbah’s spokesperson, Uche Anichukwu, confirmed that consultations were ongoing but said he was unaware of any final decision to leave the PDP.
However, several of the governor’s close associates insist the move is inevitable. “We are 100 per cent certain he will join the APC within weeks, if not days,” Premium Times quoted one of them.
-Source: Politics Nigeria
