Former Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman and ex Enugu State Governor, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, has said the All Progressives Congress has never been embraced by voters in the South East because many in the region see it as a party that treats them unfairly.
He spoke on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, January 13, where he linked the region’s hostility toward the ruling party to its experience under APC led governments, including the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Unfortunately, since APC was formed in the South-East, it has never taken root. It has been seen as the government, or the party that singles out the South-East for oppression,” Nwodo said.
His remarks come at a time when a growing number of politicians, including some from the South East, are joining the APC, a trend that has stirred debate over the political future of the region ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nwodo, however, argued that these high level defections do not reflect the thinking of ordinary people in the South East.
“Our leaders may go there for reasons best known to them. But I can tell you, they’re not speaking for the general public,” Nwodo said.
He warned that the ruling party could face serious electoral consequences in 2027, recalling how the Obidient Movement reshaped the 2023 elections, especially in the South East, where Labour Party candidate Peter Obi swept most of the votes.
“You will recall that in the immediate past election in 2023, Peter Obi, was able to convince the Nigerian people that he had something that could change the status quo.
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“In the South-East, we had sitting governors who could not deliver their states and who even contested elections to go to the Senate, and they could not win.
“That was because of the tsunami of the Obidient Movement at that time. Today, that tsunami is more likely to sweep more viciously,” Nwodo said.
He also said worsening economic hardship across the country could further fuel voter anger before the next general election.
Explaining why some political leaders from the South East appear reluctant to support Obi ahead of 2027, Nwodo criticised what he described as an unconvincing drift toward a one party system.
“We don’t see the justification in the organisation of the APC. We don’t see it in the performance of the central government, which is run by the APC.
“People are wondering why we should be drifting to a one-party state, not based on ideology, not based on performance, but in many cases for unexplained reasons that have not convinced the Nigerian people,” he said.
Now a leader in the African Democratic Congress, Nwodo said his party would focus on scrutinising the Tinubu administration while putting forward Obi as an alternative.
He concluded that, regardless of elite defections, voters in the South East have learnt to make their own political choices.
“In the South-East, our people have learnt to follow their conscience when it comes to voting in a general election,” Nwodo added.