Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National
Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, has declared the PDP “dead” in Enugu
State following his defection — alongside Governor Peter Mbah and
several party leaders — to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today
on Tuesday, Udeh-Okoye said the wave of defections marks the rise of the
APC in the South-East, predicting that another state in the region would
soon join the ruling party.
“Just wait and see; very soon, another state will fall
in the South-East to the APC,” he said, describing the party’s momentum as
“unstoppable.” When pressed for details, he declined to reveal which state,
saying the information was “classified.”
Udeh-Okoye dismissed speculation that defectors were induced
or coerced, insisting their decision was driven by leadership failures
within the PDP.
“How can APC threaten us? The APC didn’t offer us
money or positions. This is about good management and respect. We were not
induced — we are not beggars,” he said.
He blamed PDP’s national leadership, led by Acting
Chairman Umar Damagum, National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, and Organising
Secretary Umar Bature, for the party’s collapse. “These three are
undertakers. They didn’t come to grow the party; they came to bury it,” he
alleged.
Describing the situation in Enugu, Udeh-Okoye said
bluntly: “PDP is not only dead — what remains in Enugu is a carcass. Everyone
has left. The only party alive in Enugu today is the APC.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Governor Peter Mbah
officially announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast,
explaining that the move followed consultations and was aimed at aligning
Enugu with the federal government for greater development.
“This is not a betrayal,” Mbah said. “It’s about
carrying the people’s mandate on the platform that best serves them.”
Mbah was formally received into the APC by Vice
President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, APC
National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, and other party leaders.
The South-East geopolitical zone consists of Abia,
Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. The APC currently governs Imo,
Ebonyi, and Enugu, while Anambra is under the All Progressives
Grand Alliance (APGA) and Abia under the Labour Party.
Meanwhile, sources suggest that more governors could
follow suit, with Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri reportedly
finalising plans to join the ruling party. Earlier in the year, Delta State
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno also
defected to the APC with their aides and appointees.
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