Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah has reaffirmed his commitment to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), making it clear that he has no intention of abandoning the party.
During a weekend interactive session with members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Enugu, Mbah dispelled speculation about his political allegiance.
“I am still in the PDP, as you can see, the flag behind me is that of the PDP,” he stated, gesturing toward the party’s emblem.
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He acknowledged internal challenges within the PDP but pointed out that such issues are not exclusive to the party, emphasizing that all political groups in Nigeria face some level of turmoil.
Despite the tensions, Mbah expressed confidence that the PDP would navigate through its internal crisis successfully.
On the topic of independent candidacy, the governor clarified the limitations of Nigeria’s current constitutional framework.
“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.”
Mbah stressed that his primary focus remains governance and service delivery to the people of Enugu.
“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 added. “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.”
He also revealed that Chijioke Edeoga, his main contender during the 2023 gubernatorial elections, has now rejoined the PDP and is working in tandem 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,” Mbah said. “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.”
Meanwhile, Bukola Saraki, former Senate President and current head of the PDP reconciliation and convention committee, weighed in on the party’s recent wave of defections.
He attributed the moves largely to elite-driven politics, insisting that the party remains resilient at its foundation.
“When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots,” he noted.
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