Enugu State’s political landscape shifted significantly over the weekend as a wave of opposition figures crossed over to the All Progressives Congress. The mass defection saw former commissioners, local government chairmen, and legislative candidates from both the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party pledge allegiance to the APC during a high-profile ceremony at the party’s state secretariat.
Key among the defectors were Peter Okonkwo, former Local Government Commissioner; Nonso Ochi, Labour Party’s 2023 Awgu North standard-bearer; and Chief Tony Chigbo, ex-Uzo-Uwani Council Chairman. The event doubled as a show of force for the APC, which released a communiqué boasting of unprecedented membership growth across all 17 local government areas.
The gathering took aim at multiple political targets – ratifying the suspension of Senator Chuka Utazi for alleged anti-party activities while launching scathing criticism of Governor Peter Mbah’s security record. “Rural communities remain helpless against marauding herdsmen and criminals,” the statement read, positioning APC as the alternative for public safety.
Amid the political theater, attendees heaped praise on Minister Uche Nnaji for delivering federal interventions, from agricultural inputs to infrastructure projects. The party leadership notably dismissed former chairman Ben Nwoye’s highly publicized resignation as irrelevant, claiming he had ceased being a member since 2023.
This strategic consolidation comes as APC intensifies efforts to break PDP’s longstanding dominance in the Southeast. With prominent defectors now carrying the party’s banner into their former strongholds, political observers anticipate a more competitive landscape ahead of future elections. The meeting concluded with unanimous endorsement of President Tinubu’s administration and calls for broader Igbo alignment with the ruling party’s national agenda.
