A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Chairman of the Enugu State chapter, Chief Augustine Nnamani, has said the PDP would be responsible if Governor Peter Mbah eventually defects from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speculation has been mounting over Governor Mbah’s possible defection to the APC, with reports suggesting that an official announcement could follow a series of wide-ranging consultations concluded last week. Influential figures, including former Enugu State governor, Barr. Sullivan Chime, and former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, both key APC stakeholders in the state, are believed to be among those persuading Mbah to make the switch.
While acknowledging the ongoing political consultations, Mbah’s media aide, Uche Anichukwu, dismissed claims that a final decision had been reached regarding the governor’s political future.
Reacting to the development on Monday, Chief Augustine Nnamani noted that he would not be surprised if the governor ultimately leaves the PDP. He insisted that the party’s leadership should be blamed if that happens.
“Yes, I can confirm that consultations have been ongoing on the political direction of Enugu State and the South East in general, given the treatment meted out to the region by the PDP,” he said. “But the governor’s final decision will depend on the outcome of the feedback from these engagements.”
According to Nnamani, the crisis in the party stemmed from its handling of the replacement for the position of National Secretary after Senator Samuel Anyanwu vacated the office to contest the Imo governorship election. He explained that the South East PDP, in line with directives from the National Working Committee (NWC), had nominated Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye to complete the tenure, but internal wrangling derailed the process.
“The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, returned the issue to the PDP, declaring that neither the judiciary nor INEC had jurisdiction to decide party leadership. One expected the PDP leadership to stand firm and do the right thing, especially since both the NWC and the PDP Governors’ Forum directed the South East to nominate Anyanwu’s replacement again. Instead, party leaders kept playing hide and seek,” Nnamani lamented.
He accused the party of betraying both Governor Mbah and the South East, stressing that the region had always given unwavering support to the PDP.
“I have been in this party for so long, and until now, I never witnessed a situation where an entire region was sacrificed to satisfy the interest of one individual,” he said. “This is particularly painful for the South East, a region that has consistently stood by the PDP, even at times when our own sons were on the presidential and vice-presidential tickets of rival parties.”
