By M.O Ene
Before the 2011 elections, Governor Sullivan Chime found himself in a sticky situation. Ex-Governor Okwesilieze Nwodo had become the national chairman of PDP. His brother Nnia Nwodo was beefing with Chime over the wrecked Coal City Centenary celebrations, a proposal I had presented to Governor Chimaroke Nnamani in his office.
In New York City, at an airport hotel near La Guardia, Nsukka-USA 2010 convention was held. Ex-Minister Nnia Nwodo was the keynote speaker. He spoke about UNN and Enugu politics with a bombastic bluster. Then VC Prof Batho Okolo, also seated at the high table, was shocked. I had to stand behind Batho as he rebutted, but the audience had imbibed a full dose of Nnia’s oration in stirring Asadu/Ideke dialect. Nnia proclaimed a looming removal of Sullivan. It was neither minced nor nuanced. It was clear: Okwi Nwodo would stultify Sullivan’s second term.
Long story short, Sullivan stumbled onto Okwi’s untidy party-affiliation documentation. Just like that, the man who had promised Mother Mary at Holy Ghost to be fair to all fell at the first hint of unfairness!
Back to the present: Seven days after Governor Peter Mbah’s super-scripted shift from PDP to APC, complete with brooms, umbrellas, and utensils, the world has not ended. Some PDP partisans got together quickly, as if not to let PDP choke, but the damage is done and deep. Two ex-diasporans are set to clash: Chicago’s Ben Nwoye (APC) and Atlanta’s Ifeanyi Udibe (PDP). Great! Democracy without opposition is dead because excessive political power is an expressway to expiration.
There are for-and-against write-ups, as if there is a major logic in partisan policies. It is all politics: permanent interests. Only the politically unsophisticated fight.
The realignment is regular. Mbah needed to secure the ticket for a deserved second term. The dude’s deeds are great. Forces in punctured PDP positioned to derail his train. The wrecking Wike G-5 alliance with party scribe Sam-Daddy Anyanwu reflects Chime-Nwodo scenario. Mbah made the move.
The juice here is that in the national secretary fuss, PDP disrespected Mbah, the Southeast zonal leader. He had warned the party of potential consequences. He left to grab and run with his Tinubu-assured 2027 ticket. Parties do not build states; governors do.
For 2027, the gods are still silent. This much I know: Mbah needs more than his delighting deeds to erase the popular resentment of APC in Enugu State. Luckily, with the swift dismantling of ex-Minister Uche Nnaji, there is no popular gubernatorial contender. Wait: Ex-Minister Frank Nweke could pop up in an opposition coalition. A week can make a huge difference; it saved Mbah in 2023. I know. I was involved.
The defection has dawned. Motion is one thing: movement is another. Mbah needs extra movement. Without a core movement, 2027 could be another toss-up. Lightweight dudes without deeds won elections in the 2023 Obidient wave. May it not be our portion again! Prayers are good, but work works better.
#moe @OkaaMoe
Tuesday, October 21, 2025