Governor Peter Mbah has put to rest speculations about his possible defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he remains committed to the party and focused on delivering good governance to the people of Enugu State.
Speaking during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Enugu on Saturday, June 28, Mbah said, “I am still in the PDP, as you can see, the flag behind me is that of the PDP.”
While he acknowledged that the party is currently dealing with internal disputes, the governor pointed out that such issues are not unique to the PDP.
“Other political parties in the country are also facing challenges,” he said, expressing confidence that the PDP would weather the storm in due time.
Addressing questions about independent candidacy, Mbah clarified that Nigeria’s legal framework does not permit it.
“Our constitution does not recognise or have provision for someone to run as an independent candidate. It means you have to be sponsored by a political party,” he said. “So you must still do the politics, as you cannot completely shield yourself from it.”
On the state of governance in Enugu, Mbah said his administration remains committed to serving the people, not engaging in endless political battles.
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“It is also clear from the people of Enugu State that we are in this to serve them. So we have focused largely on governance,” he said. “I believe that at the end of the day, the people would have to decide whether they want to renew our mandate or kick us out.”
The governor also revealed a surprising reconciliation: Chijioke Edeoga, his main challenger in the 2023 election, has returned to the PDP and is now working with his administration.
“So we’re working closely together, and that has also brought a lot of peace, as we are not spending money dealing with all sorts of political fights.
“We are quite peaceful here in terms of politics and working together. We have to collaborate with an institution or a person to achieve our common goal and build our state,” he said.
His comments come amid a wave of high-profile defections from the PDP.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who chairs the party’s reconciliation and convention committee, also addressed the matter, saying defections are largely driven by the political elite and not reflective of the party’s grassroots strength.
“When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots,” Saraki said.