A former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Chief Augustine Nnamani, has said the party will have itself to blame if Governor Peter Mbah eventually defects to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naijaonpoint reports that Nnamani spoke against the backdrop of growing speculations that Governor Mbah may soon dump the PDP following weeks of high-level political consultations in Enugu State.
Reports last week suggested that Governor Mbah’s defection was only a matter of time, with sources hinting that the move could be announced after the conclusion of his stakeholder engagements.
The consultations, according to political observers, have drawn in top APC figures from Enugu, including former Governor Barr. Sullivan Chime and former Senate President Ken Nnamani, who are believed to be playing significant roles in wooing Mbah to the ruling party.
Governor Mbah’s media aide, Uche Anichukwu, admitted there had been a wave of consultations but denied that any final decision had been taken on defection.
‘I Won’t Be Surprised If He Leaves’ – Nnamani
Reacting to the development, Nnamani said the PDP had mismanaged its internal affairs and betrayed the South East, paving the way for Governor Mbah to consider leaving.
“Yes, I can confirm that there have been consultations on the future of Enugu State in particular and South East in general, given how the PDP has treated the region. But the final decision lies with the governor at the end of the day based on the aggregations of the feedbacks,” Nnamani said.
“As a PDP devotee, it is painful that things were allowed to deteriorate to this level in our party. The South East PDP had acted in accordance with the directive of the National Working Committee by nominating Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye to complete the remaining term of office of the National Secretary occupied by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had gone to contest the Imo governorship election. It was supposed to be a routine thing, given the established tradition in the PDP.”
PDP Betrayed South East – Nnamani
Nnamani accused the PDP of sidelining the South East in favour of “narrow interests.”
He recalled that the Supreme Court had ruled that the matter of filling the party’s National Secretary seat was within the PDP’s jurisdiction, yet the leadership failed to enforce the region’s choice.
“One expected the party leadership to put their feet down to do the right thing, especially when the NWC and subsequently the PDP Governors’ Forum directed that the South East go back to nominate Anyanwu’s replacement again. But for whatever reason, party leaders kept playing hide and seek,” he lamented.
He added, “I have been in this party for so long. Until now, I have never seen an entire region thrown under the bus to make one person happy. More so a region like the South East that has successively given the party its all, sometimes even when we had our own sons on the tickets of other parties as presidential and vice presidential candidates.
“Governor Mbah was also betrayed, even by his own colleagues. I say so because I have been in the PDP long enough to know that in matters like this, PDP governors rally around their own. But in this instance, both Mbah and the region were thrown under the bus.”
The Only PDP Governor In South East About To Leave
The former PDP chairman warned that if Governor Mbah defects, it would not be an ordinary political move but a historic shift.
“We must recall that the South East PDP already told the PDP to choose between the region and those narrow interests. So, if Mbah defects, he would only be making good the region’s clear threat to reconsider their future with the PDP if the party continued to disrespect their collective interest and position. And that being the case, the party has itself to blame,” he said.
He stressed that Mbah’s exit would mean the PDP no longer has a single governor in the South East, a region that once served as its strongest base.
“It means that South East, which used to control the five South East states, would now be the only geopolitical zone without a PDP governor.
“It will also be a huge loss to the PDP as Governor Mbah is unarguably one of the most celebrated and outstanding governors in Nigeria as of today,” Nnamani concluded.
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