The political fallout from Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified, with a prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain now alleging that Mbah did not legitimately win the 2023 governorship election. Umar Sani, a former spokesman for ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, made the stunning claim shortly after Governor Mbah officially crossed over to the ruling national party.
Sani, who dismissed suggestions that the defections would rattle the PDP, argued that the current internal crises within the party are being “orchestrated by fifth columnists” and are “externally induced.” He insisted that Enugu State remains a staunch PDP stronghold, a key factor that he believes renders Mbah’s move inconsequential. “Mbah’s defection will not rattle the PDP because he is swimming against the tide. In fact, he did not even win the election,” Sani claimed, casting fresh doubt on the legitimacy of the governor’s mandate.
The official results from the 2023 polls, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), awarded Peter Mbah a narrow victory with 160,895 votes. His closest challenger, Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party, secured 157,552 votes, a slim margin of approximately 3,300. The outcome, however, was immediately disputed. Edeoga’s campaign rejected the results, subsequently taking the case to the tribunal and alleging widespread electoral fraud and irregularities, particularly citing massive over-voting in Nkanu East Local Government Area.
This latest revelation from a PDP stalwart further complicates the narrative surrounding the controversial defection, suggesting that Mbah’s switch to the APC is viewed by some within his former party not just as a political misstep, but as a flight by an individual whose hold on power was already precarious.
