All Enugu Reps Now APC: Five Lawmakers Dump PDP, LP for Ruling Party in Mass Defection

By Ogunbayi Beedee Adeyemi October 30, 2025
adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com

In a seismic political shift that hands the All Progressives Congress (APC) total control of Enugu State’s representation in the House of Representatives, five lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) defected to the ruling party on Thursday, sealing the state’s full alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

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The defections, announced during plenary by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas after reading individual resignation letters, cap a whirlwind realignment triggered by Enugu Governor Peter Mbah’s recent switch from the PDP to the APC. Mbah, who attended the session alongside APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, witnessed the lawmakers Chidi Obetta (LP, Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South), Anayo Onwuegbu (PDP, Aninri/Awgu/Oji River), Nnamdi Agbo (PDP, Igbo-Eze North/Uzo Uwani), Martins Oke (PDP, Enugu North/South), and Nnolim Nnaji (PDP, Nkanu West/Nkanu East) formally join the APC fold amid applause from ruling party members.

With these moves, all eight Enugu federal lawmakers are now APC affiliates, upending the 2023 election outcome where the LP secured seven seats and the PDP one. The defectors, led by Nnaji, cited “unresolved internal crises” and “irreconcilable differences” in their former parties as key drivers, while praising Mbah’s “transformative leadership” and the need to “connect Enugu to the centre for development.”

Enugu, long a PDP fortress under predecessors like Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has undergone rapid reconfiguration since Mbah’s defection announcement last month. The governor, elected on the PDP platform in 2023, justified his APC pivot as a “strategic alignment” with Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda to unlock federal resources for infrastructure, including the Enugu-Abakaliki Road dualization and smart city initiatives. “Enugu’s progress demands partnership with the federal government,” Mbah stated post-defection, a sentiment echoed by the lawmakers.

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Nnaji, in a post-plenary address, elaborated: “For too long, Enugu has watched from the opposition sidelines while others shaped national destiny. This is a bold step into the future courage, clarity, and repositioning Nkanu for greatness.” Obetta added that Mbah’s defection “illuminated the path,” highlighting stalled projects under opposition status.

The wave extends beyond the National Assembly: Earlier this year, Enugu LP Rep. Paul Nnadi Umeha and over 1,000 supporters defected, citing LP divisions. Mbah’s move has also lured local PDP figures, bolstering APC’s Southeast footprint ahead of 2027 polls.

The defections reignite debates under Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which permits switches only amid party divisions a clause the lawmakers invoked via their “internal crises” rationale. PDP national spokesperson Deji Chutus decried it as “opportunistic poaching,” vowing legal challenges, while LP’s Obiora Ifoh labeled it a “betrayal of the Obi-dient movement.”

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Yet, APC leaders celebrated the haul as organic growth. National Chairman Yilwatda, addressing the chamber, called it “a triumph of unity over division,” tying it to Tinubu’s inclusive governance. The Enugu APC State Chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah, projected it as priming the party to “take over Lion Building in 2027.”

This Enugu exodus mirrors national trends: Six total defections Thursday, including Plateau’s Daniel Ago (LP, Bassa/Jos North). Recent shifts in Delta (six PDP Reps to APC) and Edo (assembly speaker and others) signal APC’s consolidation in opposition heartlands, fueled by federal patronage amid economic reforms like the recent 15% fuel import duty.

For Enugu’s 4.4 million residents grappling with 34% inflation and insecurity, the defections promise enhanced federal allocations potentially ₦100 billion more via aligned budgeting. Projects like the revived Ajaokuta-Kaduna rail extension could accelerate, per APC projections.

Critics, including Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II’s recent anti-sycophancy warnings, caution against “elite realignments” sidelining grassroots voices. Civil society group Yiaga Africa urged INEC scrutiny to safeguard electoral integrity.

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As the defectors were ushered to the Speaker’s seat for formal reception, Mbah beamed: “This is Enugu’s renaissance.” Whether it heralds progress or power play, the Coal City’s full APC embrace reshapes Southeast politics positioning it as Tinubu’s potential Igbo bridge for re-election.

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