As Nigeria begins the countdown to the 2027 general elections, youths of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State have thrown their weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid, while making a bold appeal to Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah to join the ruling party.
Operating under the banner of the Progressives Youth Stakeholders, the group held a strategic meeting in Enugu over the weekend.
There, they declared their commitment to mobilizing massive grassroots support across the state’s 260 wards and 17 local government areas, aiming to reverse the party’s poor showing in the 2023 elections.
Back in 2023, Tinubu garnered only 4,772 votes in Enugu State, a performance the youth group blamed on internal party crises and poor leadership by former APC state chairman, Barrister Ugochukwu Agballa, and the 2023 governorship candidate, Chief Uche Nnaji.
During the meeting, Mr. Peter Chime, leader of the youth coalition, emphasized that APC in Enugu must no longer be controlled by external forces. He also called for inclusivity and ownership of the party at the grassroots level.
“APC is not a personal business. It belongs to all of us. We must go back to our communities and become the face of APC,” Chime said.
The group extended a public invitation to Governor Mbah, urging him to consider defecting from his current party to the APC.
According to them, his leadership could catalyze development and attract greater federal benefits to Enugu State.
“We are begging our governor to join APC. If he does, not only will he receive an automatic ticket, he will also draw heavyweight politicians into the party,” Chime stated.
“Enugu needs to be connected to the center, and Governor Mbah is our bridge.”
The youths also pressed for a fairer reward system within the APC, calling on President Tinubu and the National Chairman, Prof. Mentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, to recognize loyal party members who have been sidelined since the 2023 victory.
“Those who toiled for the party deserve appointments and recognition,” Chime noted.
In addition, the group reached out to founding APC members who had distanced themselves due to past internal conflicts, urging them to return and rebuild the party.
“We ask our pioneers who left because of the actions of the former chairman and Hon. Uche Nnaji to come back. This is the house they built,” Chime appealed.
Also speaking at the event was Dr. Ben Nwoye, former APC State Chairman and a national leader of the Progressives Group, who highlighted the meeting as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen APC structures and prepare for 2027.
“This is about reenergizing the APC base in Enugu and nationwide,” Nwoye said.
“Governor Mbah would be warmly welcomed. If he joins us, he becomes the undisputed leader of APC in Enugu.”
He further underscored the need to empower youth leaders and strengthen political activity at polling units and ward levels.
