Don’t Dump PDP for APC, Ex-LG Chair Tells Mbah

Former Chairman of Udi Local Government Area in Enugu State, Engr. Nick Ozonsi, has cautioned Governor Peter Mbah against defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ozonsi, who spoke yesterday on Political Voices, a programme on Enugu-based Dream FM 92.5, urged the governor to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he is “better positioned” to secure a second term.

According to him, Mbah’s performance in office so far has endeared him to the people, and staying in the PDP would guarantee overwhelming support in 2027.

He said: “If he wants to leave PDP, nobody will hold him back. But the party will feel the effect of his exit. What I gathered is that unknown ghosts are haunting him within the PDP. The problem traces to the intrigues at the national leadership level. Already, many fear there may be no space for him at the primaries come 2027.”

Ozonsi also warned that defection to APC may not be seamless, stressing that entrenched party leaders in the state could resist Mbah’s takeover of the structure.

“Whichever party the governor is joining, he should be the leader. But if those on ground refuse to yield, it is going to be a problem for him,” he added.

The former council boss maintained that “90 per cent of Enugu residents” still want Mbah in the PDP. He advised the governor to convene a stakeholders’ meeting and lay bare the challenges he is facing within the party.

While a faction of the APC led by former chairman Dr. Ben Nwoye has openly invited the governor, the mainstream camp under Barr. Ugo Agballa is reportedly backing the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, for the 2027 governorship ticket.

Ozonsi prayed Mbah would resist pressure to dump the PDP, saying: “Enugu people love him. What we did for him in 2023 will be repeated if he stays.”