Governor Peter Mbah’s Planned Defection to APC Signals Collapse of PDP in South-East — Osita Okechukwu

Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has described the reported defection of Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a historic moment that marks the decline of the PDP’s dominance in the South-East.

Speaking in Enugu on Sunday, Okechukwu said the move signifies a political turning point for the region. Reports indicate that Governor Mbah, along with other PDP officials and supporters, will officially join the APC at a grand rally scheduled for Tuesday at Okpara Square, Enugu.

The event will reportedly be attended by the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, who first hinted at Mbah’s defection last week.

Okechukwu praised the governor’s decision, calling it “pragmatic and inevitable.” According to him, the development confirms that the PDP, which once governed all five South-East states in 1999, has now lost its footing completely in the region by 2025.

He recalled a past comment by the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, who said the PDP “pays good deeds with bad coins,” noting that the party’s disregard for fairness and equity especially its breach of zoning arrangements and alleged marginalisation of the South-East drove loyal members away.

“The PDP failed to reward loyalty and justice,” Okechukwu stated. “Mbah’s defection is not just about one man it represents the final chapter of the South-East’s disillusionment with a party that abandoned its founding principles.”