Politics
FULL TEXT: Mbah’s address at APC defection ceremony in Enugu
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The governor disclosed this at a press conference held on Tuesday in Enugu, the state capital, marking a major political shift in the South-East region.
Explaining the decision, Mbah said his move was driven by a desire to deepen development efforts and align Enugu with a broader national vision.
The full address:
CHARTING A NEW COURSE: TRANSITION FROM PDP TO APC
I want to begin by expressing a deep gratitude to God and Ndi Enugu…
For we are indeed at a moment of reflection, gratitude and renewal.
Today, I stand before you, to announce a break from the past, and to share a decision that will shape the road ahead. This concerns our values, how we organize ourselves politically, and how we secure the future of our projects and our people.
I offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to this journey over the past 28 months.
At the top of that list is Ndi Enugu. At a time when confidence in political leaders had almost collapsed, you chose to believe in us.
When I declared that “Tomorrow Is Here,” it struck a chord in your hearts. You put aside long-held skepticism and stood by us. Without that trust, the transformation we see today would never have happened.
Let us pause for a moment and consider what this transformation looks like.
It looks like Smart Green Schools nearing completion and primary healthcare centres in all 260 wards.
It looks like crime down by 80%; Maternal, Under-5 and infant mortality rates reduced by 400 percent.
It looks like a Command and Control Centre with AI-embedded Security Surveillance System and 150 Distress Response Squad vehicles that guarantee safe streets and neighbourhoods.
It looks like water flowing again through new mains and restored supply.
It looks like over 1000 kilometres of paved roads.
It looks like Internally-Generated Revenue up 600%.
It looks like a fully booked International Conference Centre pouring money into our local economy.
It looks like direct flights taking off – with Enugu Air linking us to key cities across Nigeria and beyond.
It looks like 3 million visitors to Enugu by 2026 – with Nigeria’s first zipline, 4 immersive eco-tourist sites.
It looks like commuting in comfortable CNG buses at 5 world-class terminals; and having 260 Farm Estates that bring production to scale.
It looks like Hotel Presidential and Nigergas revamped; and several moribund assets roaring back to life.
Of course, it looks like winning the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Model Green State Award as the Cleanest State in Nigeria.
It looks like Enugu on the national – indeed global – map.
Ndi Enugu, Your trust and support have been the bedrock of our success, and we pledge to honour that by delivering on our election promises.
Our elder statesmen have also demonstrated generosity and foresight.
Many of you had witnessed decades of broken promises. When we approached you, we did not ask for blind loyalty but some faith in our vision.
You gave us that faith. Together, with your vote of confidence, we have achieved remarkable progress.
To my colleagues in the administration, I am grateful for your resilience. We have walked a path that often felt like a marathon without rest. Many of the ideas we put forward were dismissed as unrealistic. Yet you kept pushing the boundaries of what was possible.
Because of your dedication, today we hear applause for Enugu across Nigeria and beyond.
To the Peoples Democratic Party, which provided the platform on which we campaigned and won, I extend deep gratitude. The PDP supported us through a demanding campaign and joined in celebrating the victory.
For nearly 3 decades, the PDP and the people of Enugu walked side by side, united by shared purpose. Together, we built relationships that will always matter to me personally and to this state.
Yet, leadership sometimes demands difficult – even painful – decisions in the service of higher principles and goals. And there always comes a time when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.
Today, after a long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the PDP and join the All Progressives Congress.
This is no whimsical decision. It’s a collective move by the political family in Enugu State, comprising members of the National Assembly, members of the State House of Assembly, the State Executive Council, all the Local Government Chairmen and Councillors, all political appointees and over 80% of party executives.
Over the past months, I have thought carefully about the path forward. In the end, after much soul searching and discussion, I have concluded that we must stand for the principles and institutions that honour transparency, trust, and above all – the people we serve.
For decades, the South East – especially Enugu – has stood firmly behind the PDP, showing loyalty that shaped the party’s success.
Yet despite this history, our voices were too often disregarded when it mattered most.
It has therefore become necessary to seek affiliation where our interests as a region are represented in the form of fair partnership.
We are not moving from a place of resentment or fear. We are confident of our future.
We have no axe to grind, no personal point to make. But fairness, respect and integrity must guide our choices for that future to be ours.
Today, in joining the APC, we are embracing a visionary partnership.
I have found in His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, not just a leader of our nation, but a partner in purpose, a man with the courage to look beyond today and make the tough choices that secure lasting prosperity for tomorrow.
Together, we share a conviction that transformation must be bold and disruptive – that roads, railways, and airlines must stretch out from the heart of the South East; that Enugu’s promise, its security, its schools, its hospitals, its markets, its communities – must be reinforced.
The President has shown not only interest, but a deep and vested commitment to Enugu, one that recognizes our region as a pillar of national progress.
We both share a belief that renewal does not stop at the grand highways or the balance sheets. It must reach the ward, the village, our grassroots. It is in the daily life of the farmer, the trader, the young entrepreneur that reforms come alive.
We both welcome initiatives that decentralize opportunity, that strengthen the capacity of local government, that bring seed capital and credit to our youth, and that expand healthcare and education at the community level.
Just as we do in our ward-based development initiatives, these convictions are boldly expressed in the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, an idea conceived to empower over 8.8 million Nigerians across the country’s 8,809 electoral wards.
Yes, some choices demand sacrifice. Removing subsidies, unifying our foreign exchange markets, confronting crippling inefficiency – these are not easy decisions. But these are the smart choices that free resources for investment in our people.
His Excellency, the President has shown he is not afraid to make the tough decisions for a fair and stable nation. And here in Enugu, we have been just as audacious.
This move is bigger than politics – it is about alignment at scale. It is about connecting Enugu’s destiny with the central hub of broader reforms shaping our nation.
Of course, this does raise some questions:
Will the voice of Enugu be heard now in Abuja?
How will the change affect our progress at home?
How will your lives be touched by this decision?
Let me be clear, I will represent our state and our region with the same strength of purpose as I have always done. Our Igbo DNA does not change; our destiny does not change. What changes is that our vision now finds stronger reinforcement at the federal level.
The progress you see today will not slow, and the projects we have begun will be completed.
Yes, there have been challenges and delays along the way, but make no mistake – schools, hospitals, roads, and our services will be finished as promised.
To the political elite across the South East, I say this: our people are watching. What they care about most are results. True leadership is about service to the people, not service to self. Principles, not personalities, must guide us.
To Ndi Enugu, let me say this: this will not break our stride. We are a force of endeavour, and we need an ally who can match our ambition.
Let me reassure you – this is not a detour, but a conscious step towards a more compelling future.
As we begin this new chapter, I ask for your understanding, your trust, and your continued support.
Let us gather with renewed hope to build the Enugu – and the Nigeria – that our children deserve.
Finally, I want to express our most profound gratitude to Mr President for his support and encouragement of our vision. I’m confident this marks the beginning of a new era of growth and progress.
Thank you, and may God bless Ndi Enugu; God Bless Enugu State and God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Tomorrow is here….
The screening committee of the Accord Party has cleared Governor Ademola Adeleke to participate in the party’s governorship primary, ongoing on Wednesday in Osogbo.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The development was confirmed in a statement by the chairman of the screening committee and National Organising Secretary of the party, Ibe Thankgod.
Thankgod said Adeleke met all the requirements for nomination and was subsequently cleared as the sole aspirant for the party’s governorship ticket.
He also described the governor as a “worthy gubernatorial aspirant” of the party.
The certificate of clearance was presented to Adeleke by the committee chairman.
In response, the governor thanked the screening committee and the party leadership, saying he was ready to lead the Accord Party to victory in 2026.
“I am ready for the primary, and I am ready for the general elections.
‘We are winning by God’s grace”, he was quoted as saying.
Adeleke announced his defection to the Accord Party on Tuesday night, after resigning his membership of the People’s Democratic Party on December 2.
NAN
The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday blasted the All Progressives Congress over the defection of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, accusing the ruling party of orchestrating the political crisis that pushed Fubara out of the PDP.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Reactions emerged from both the state and national levels of the opposition party, with leaders insisting that Fubara’s exit neither weakened the PDP nor altered its structure in Rivers State.
On Tuesday, Fubara officially announced his defection from the PDP to the APC.
Fubara joined Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno; Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah; and his Bayelsa counterpart, Duoye Siri, all of whom defected from the opposition PDP.
With Fubara’s official declaration, all six states in the South-South – Edo, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta and Cross River – are governed by the APC.
Fubara, speaking during an emergency stakeholders meeting at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, said he left his former party for two reasons: first, that the main opposition party could not protect him, and second, that he is still being addressed as “His Excellency, the Governor,” rather than “former governor,” because of President Bola Tinubu.
At the meeting held 24 hours after visiting the Presidential villa, Abuja, Fubara said his defection was in the interest of the state.
He pointed out that he got the assurances of the President of his support after their meeting in Abuja on Monday evening.
While noting that for the love the President had shown him, he remained indebted, adding that the state had the people, the support and the number to rally round Tinubu.
Fubara further said he would not make the mistake of stepping on any landmine set for him, hence Monday’s visit to Mr President, where he briefed him on the state of things in the state.
He stated, “Our dear leaders, I know you have been expecting to hear from me, especially this meeting that I had to arrange so urgently. But the meeting is going to end with very sweet information.
“You are aware that I went to see Mr President yesterday, and the reason why I went to that meeting is not just a personal visit, but it is a state interest consultation. I don’t want to make any mistakes this time around.
“I also wish not to step on any landmine that anyone is laying for us. So I was with Mr President yesterday to brief him on the situation of things in our state, which I believe he had taken note of, and he is going to act swiftly on it.
“But the most interesting part of the meeting is what you all have been waiting for. What you have been asking me for, the signal has finally arrived. We have the full support.
“We have the positive nod to leave where we are, because we didn’t get any protection. The reason why we are still standing is because of that place.
“And the truth is that without Mr President, there won’t be any His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara. It would have been a former governor.
“Our only ‘thank you’ to Mr President is to support him. And we cannot support Mr President in isolation. We can’t support Mr President if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support. So we have taken that decision today since we’ve gotten the pass.”
Fubara continued, “Everyone here who has followed me and suffered with me, our decision today, this evening, we are moving to APC.”
Immediately the governor made the announcement, the hall chorused ‘On your mandate we shall stand,’ with the governor singing along and thereafter ordered the removal of the PDP flag in the Government House.
Fubara added, “Please remove this PDP flag. We don’t need it here again. Now that our position has been made clear, every other formal process will commence. Let me thank you all for your support.
“I’ve not let you down before, I’m not going to let you down. The message is very simple. We are the ones who will give that support, and we will give that support with a loud ovation because we know that the people of Rivers State are with us. Thank you.”
Present at the meeting were the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Benibo Anabraba, his predecessor, Dr Tammy Danagogo, former Ambassador to the Netherlands, Oji Ngofa, and all former LG chairmen who served under Fubara, among others.
The PDP described the Rivers situation as a testament to the dysfunctional nature of Nigeria’s democracy, where individuals are bigger and stronger than institutions and can use the apparatus of the Federal Government to obfuscate political life out of their opponents and bring them to their knees.”
The Tanimu Turaki-led National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, in a statement on Tuesday, warned that Nigeria’s democracy was in danger, stressing that the ruling party’s push toward a one-party system and shrinking of the political space posed a serious threat.
“Democracy is terribly threatened by acts of this kind, and all well-meaning people should unify in condemning this progressive decline of democratic norms.
“We reiterate to Nigerians and the global community that with the unrelenting disposition of the ruling party towards the attainment of a one-party state, and the constriction of the political space, democracy is under severe attack in Nigeria.
“Everyone must rise together to oppose this ignoble trip toward electoral authoritarianism,” he said
The party, however, expressed pity for Fubara for defecting to the APC, insisting that his political troubles were self-inflicted, having willingly taken the path that led to his current predicament.
Ememobong said the Rivers crisis exposed a broken democracy where powerful individuals overpowered institutions and used federal machinery to crush their opponents.
He hoped Fubara did not fall into Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim became attached to his oppressor.
“The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has received the news of the formal defection of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, from our party to the ruling party.
“This news, as pitiful as it is, is an exemplar of the old legal maxim, Volenti non fit injuria, meaning to one who is willing, no harm can be done.
“Everyone who has followed the developments that culminated in this uneventful defection will recall that the governor willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination. Having done so voluntarily, he cannot turn around and accuse our party, or any other person or group, of abandoning or not protecting him.
“Whilst a person who is at a crossroad of threats of existential proportion will most likely suffer from temporary amnesia caused by trauma, the governor should have nothing less than praise for our party, civil society organisations, and all Nigerians who freely stood up in his defence since this crisis started until he capitulated.
“It is our prayer that the governor should not suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with his captor. In all, despite these, we pity the governor and wish him well.”
Also reacting to Fubara’s defection, factional chairman of the PDP in the state, Robinson Ewor, said the party remained intact, saying Fubara’s exit was nothing new.
Ewor, in a telephone chat with The PUNCH on Tuesday, however, said that though Fubara had just announced his defection, he had left the PDP long ago, even before the end of the emergency rule.
He said the APC-led government fought the governor to a standstill and successfully captured the state while the emergency rule persisted by conducting local government elections and installing choices in addition to dissolving all existing boards and agencies.
He further said the emergency rule was declared in the state essentially with the intent for the ruling APC to take over, insisting that there was no crisis anywhere in the state at the time.
“The governor’s defection to the APC is nothing new as far as I’m concerned. You know that the APC declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, not because there was a crisis in Rivers State, but because they wanted to take over Rivers State. During the state of emergency, they conducted a local government election and took over the 20 LGAs completely.
“Within the same period under review, they appointed all the boards, parastatals and agencies in Rivers State. So Fubara came back with nothing in his hands. If Fubara remains in PDP, he is like a non-existent figure.
“As far as I’m concerned, he has gone long ago, and the APC has captured the state long ago. Not because he wanted to go but because they fought him and they conquered him.”
The factional chairman loyal to the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee, however, said the party remained intact.
“PDP is intact. I remain in PDP. There are other PDP members. So, PDP is one of the registered political parties in the country, in the state.
“There are other states too where the governor defected, and the PDP is still there. States like Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, etc. PDP is still in those states, and in Rivers too, the PDP is still here.”
Recall that the governor’s frosty relationship with the former governor and current Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, escalated into a wider confrontation involving the minister’s allies in the House of Assembly, eventually leading to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state on March 18, 2025.
Tinubu, declaring the state of emergency, suspended Fubara, Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for six months and appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as sole administrator.
The President said the decision was taken to restore stability in the state, having witnessed political turmoil as a result of the disagreement between the governor and the lawmakers.
Upon returning from emergency rule on September 18, Fubara’s relationship with the lawmakers remained strained.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, 16 members of the House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, announced their defection from the PDP to the APC, citing the intractable crisis and factionalisation of the PDP.
Earlier, before defecting, the lawmakers had passed a vote of confidence on President Tinubu and declared support for his 2027 re-election bid.
Also, on Monday, December 8, 22 of the 23 local government chairmen in the state, under the auspices of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, alongside their ward councillors, declared support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The only LGA chairman missing was that of Opobo/Nkoro, where the governor hails from.
The PUNCH reports that in the last LGA election conducted in the state by the sole administrator and now ambassador-nominee, Vice Admiral Ibas (retd), the APC won 20 LGAs while the PDP won three.
On Monday, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented Etche-Omuma Federal Constituency, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, told The PUNCH that Fubara’s defection to the APC was likely due to the political developments in the South-South.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered another major defection on Tuesday as the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, officially left the party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Naija News reports that Fubara’s defection marks the sixth governorship loss for the party in 2025 alone.
Fubara, stating his reason for dumping PDP, said, “I went to see Mr President not just for a personal visit, but for a consultation on state matters.
“The most important outcome of that meeting is that we now have full support to leave where we were because we didn’t get the protection we needed. The struggles we faced were due to the crisis in the state.
“If President Tinubu had not intervened, there wouldn’t be a Siminalayi Fubara today. We have the people and supporters with us. Our decision is to move to the APC and fully support the President’s second-term bid.”
Earlier, the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, had announced his defection, not to APC, but to the Accord Party, ahead of the state’s forthcoming governorship elections.
With Fubara’s exit, the tally of governors who have left PDP in 2025 stands at six:
Peter Mbah (Enugu State)
Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom State)
Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State)
Douye Diri (Bayelsa State)
Ademola Adeleke (Osun State)
Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers State)
There are indications that the Governor of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang and Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, might follow suit in 2026, leaving the once flashy party in shambles.
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