Former House of Representatives member, USA Igwesi, has described Governor Peter Mbah’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a bold and strategic move for the people of Enugu State and the South East region.
Speaking with journalists in Enugu, Igwesi said Mbah’s decision to move with the entire Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure was “timely and visionary,” reconnecting the Coal City State to the nation’s political mainstream after years in opposition.
“Governor Mbah is smart and strategic. He knows what and when to act. Everyone who followed events in the PDP knows he had had enough of the shenanigans in that party. The PDP is irredeemable, and its crises are self-inflicted. Enugu people are happy with his decision,” he stated.
Igwesi, a former Majority Leader of the Enugu State House of Assembly, said the governor’s alignment with the Federal Government would accelerate development across the state. “With Enugu and Abuja now under the same party, Mbah’s mission to reposition the state is fully assured,” he said.
He noted that the massive turnout during Mbah’s defection reflected genuine grassroots support. “The holistic political shift from PDP to APC will reinforce the governor’s visionary infrastructural revolution,” he added.
According to him, Governor Mbah will be remembered for reconnecting Enugu to the national political grid after years of isolation.
Igwesi lamented that despite the South East’s decades-long loyalty to the PDP, the zone gained little in return. He argued that Mbah’s switch to the APC serves the region’s strategic interests.
“The move is significant because it aligns Enugu and, by extension, the South East with the political mainstream. It makes no sense for Enugu, the capital of the region, to remain in opposition,” he said.
Igwesi further praised Mbah’s leadership record, noting that his defection would give fresh impetus to the state’s infrastructural transformation.
“Governor Mbah’s defection will strengthen Enugu’s ties with the Federal Government and help the entire South East benefit from President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.