•’Three causes Mbah is leaving PDP
•Strikes with 24 Lawmakers, 260 Councillors
By Clifford Ndujihe & Omeiza Ajayi
BARRING a last-minute delay, three opposition governors, together with Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State, will defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, subsequent week, Saturday, Vanguard has gathered.
Mbah and Diri had been elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Social gathering, PDP. The identification of the third governor remains to be below wraps.
Saturday Vanguard gathered that whereas Mbah has obtained the imprimatur of PDP stakeholders in Enugu to maneuver, Diri is being opposed by many Nationwide Meeting members in Bayelsa together with his speedy predecessor and backer, Senator Seriake Dickson.
In readiness for the defections tentatively billed for Tuesday, October 14, the Nationwide Working Committee, NWC, of the APC, on Thursday, dissolved the State Working Committee, SWC, in Enugu and appointed a caretaker committee.
Contacted on the difficulty, yesterday, a prime aide of Governor Mbah, initially mentioned ‘I can not verify or deny it. I’ll get again to you “
Nevertheless, he later disclosed that the deal had been sealed. “The governor will land in APC however I don’t know whether or not or not will probably be on Tuesday “
Earthquake in Enugu PDP
With the transfer, the PDP in Enugu State is on the point of collapse, if Governor Mbah leads exodus of the state’s total political construction into the APC.
Mbah has agreed to defect — Ben Nwoye
In what social gathering leaders described because the “demise knell” of the PDP in Enugu, APC Caretaker Chairman within the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye, revealed in Abuja that Mbah will formally defect on Tuesday October 14, 2024, accompanied by all 260 ward councillors, 24 members of the State Home of Meeting, Nationwide Meeting members and the complete PDP State Govt Committee.
“Political evangelism has began. We went to the governor, and he has agreed to maneuver with us into APC. He’s not coming alone, he’s coming with the entire construction of Enugu PDP,” Nwoye declared, drawing thunderous applause on the inauguration of the Enugu APC caretaker committee, yesterday, in Abuja.
The defection, described by insiders as essentially the most consequential political realignment within the South-East since 1999, will finish the PDP’s 25-year dominance in Enugu and reposition the South-East in Nigeria’s ruling coalition.
APC Nationwide Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who inaugurated the caretaker committee charged the brand new Enugu management to consolidate the shock defection into a long-lasting political conquest:
“APC is dwelling for all. The one that got here yesterday, right now, or tomorrow has equal rights. Our objective is easy; to develop, to win and to ship overwhelming victory in 2027,” Yilwatda mentioned.
Deputy Nationwide Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, mentioned the event marks the return of the South-East to nationwide relevance.
“We’ll not play second fiddle. With Enugu in APC, the South-East has discovered its voice once more”, he declared. Social gathering leaders imagine that the transfer will decimate PDP’s affect within the area, open the floodgates for defections in Anambra and Abia, and provides APC its strongest foothold but within the South-East forward of the 2027 elections.
“The place Enugu goes, the South-East goes. By no means once more will opposition dominate our area. Governor Mbah has remodeled Enugu in two years. Now, he’ll anchor APC’s Renewed Hope Agenda within the South-East”, mentioned Nwoye
Diri’s sport plan in Bayelsa
In Bayelsa, checks confirmed that Diri’s defection, which had been on the playing cards for months can also be laid to relaxation subsequent week.
Sources advised Saturday Vanguard that Diri would have joined APC sooner than now however for the animosity inside the management of the Bayelsa APC, particularly by the group loyal to Chief Timipre Sylva, former Governor and minister of Petroleum Assets. It was additionally gathered that Diri had consulted former President Goodluck Jonathan, and a few Bayelsa State elders earlier than deciding to dump the PDP, and that he has the backing of nearly all of the members of the Bayelsa State Home of Meeting to defect to the APC
Nevertheless, Diri’s defection plan is being opposed by nearly all of the Nationwide Meeting members on the bottom that there is no such thing as a compelling cause to defect to the APC.
Two Senators -the senator representing Bayelsa West, Henry Seriake Dickson and Benson Agadaga, three Home of Representatives members out of 5, particularly Fred Agbedi (Sagbama/ Ekeremor), Maria Ebikake (Nembe/Brass) and Mietama Obordor (Ogbia) should not going to defect with Diri to the APC
Nonetheless, associates of the governor mentioned he had made up his thoughts.
“There isn’t a going again on the governor crossing to the APC. We now have handed the stage of session. The governor goes with members of the Home of Meeting, although not all of us are going. Additionally, some members of the Nationwide Meeting should not going. Senator Konbowei Benson goes with the governor. The defection could also be subsequent week,” a prime Bayelsa legislator reportedly mentioned.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, mentioned he was not conscious of the Governor’s plan to defect.
APC plan grand reception
Like was finished when Governors Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) defected from the PDP to APC, lately, sources mentioned the ruling social gathering is planning a grand reception for Mbah, Diri and different defecting opposition governors
“The social gathering management will give them a befitting reception,” one of many sources mentioned.
Three causes Mbah is leaving PDP — Aide
Certainly, a prime shut aide of Mbah gave three causes the governor is quitting the PDP. They’re the social gathering’s maltreatment of the South-East zone, failure to ratify Sunday Udeh-Okoye, the zone’s selection as nationwide secretary and limitless crises within the PDP.
The failure of the PDP to ratify Udeh-Okoye as South-East’s selection to finish the remaining tenure Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had gained the social gathering’s ticket and flew the social gathering’s flag within the November 2023 Imo governorship election had pitted the social gathering and its South-East caucus.
Trampling on S-East loyalty
Of their communique after the South-East Zonal Govt Committee, assembly at Authorities Home, Enugu, on Could 14, the South-East PDP warned that it was fed up and may depart the social gathering, if it did not ratify Udeh-Okoye because the Nationwide Secretary for the umpteenth time.
“Within the occasion that our place just isn’t promptly carried out by the social gathering, the South-East PDP, as a household, shall be compelled to rethink our relationship with the PDP going ahead,” the communique learn by the South-East Zonal Chairman of the social gathering, Chief Ali Odefa, said.
On the occasion, former Senate President and Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, decried the trampling of South-East PDP regardless of the area’s loyalty to the social gathering since its formation in 1998.
“We now have been trampled upon, not taken significantly. If such a place had been vacant within the South-South, it could not be like this. And now, it got here to us and the same old factor is to play politics with the Igbo man. Sure, we could should rethink our stand so far as the social gathering is anxious. However I belief the NWC.”
Infinite disaster
The supply mentioned the limitless disaster within the PDP can also be a significant factor fueling defections from the social gathering, together with that of Dr. Mbah.
Whereas reiterating the potential for South-East and himself dumping the social gathering throughout Governor Seyi Makinde’s intervention go to to Enugu on June 30, Mbah maintained that “we reserve the best to assessment our continued membership of the social gathering if the social gathering is unwilling to place its home so as.”
Retention of Anyanwu as scribe
With the retention of Anyanwu, an ally of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, as Nationwide Secretary, the PDP has continued to writhe in pains of disaster, with many social gathering trustworthy now afraid that PDP won’t be capable of subject candidates within the 2027
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