Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has described Governor Peter Mbah’s reported exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the final signal of the party’s decline in the South-East.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday in Enugu, Okechukwu, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said Mbah’s move represents a defining political shift and underscores the PDP’s complete collapse in the region.
“This marks PDP’s fall from grace, from controlling all five South-East states in 1999 to holding none in 2025,” he stated.
Okechukwu hailed Mbah’s defection as a “pragmatic, rational, and inevitable” decision, arguing that the PDP had long abandoned principles of equity and internal justice.
He cited historical grievances, including what he described as the party’s betrayal of zoning arrangements and marginalisation of the South-East in recent leadership disputes.
“Dr Chuba Okadigbo once said that the PDP pays good deeds with bad coins. Mbah’s exit proves that point,” he added.
He pointed specifically to the 2023 presidential election cycle, accusing the PDP of ignoring the South-East’s legitimate claim to the presidency and later sidelining the region in key party decisions, including the battle over the National Secretary position.
“This wasn’t just neglect, it was deliberate marginalisation. Mbah’s defection is only the latest consequence of the PDP’s consistent failure to reward loyalty and uphold fairness,” Okechukwu said.
Dismissing suggestions that Mbah might have considered joining another party, Okechukwu remarked:
“He couldn’t possibly join the ADC, which has been hijacked by the same elements who disrupted the PDP.”
He concluded that Mbah’s move to APC marks the final chapter in the South-East’s disillusionment with the PDP, a party he says has consistently failed the region.
The APC had announced a grand reception to welcome Mbah and other high-profile defectors from the PDP on Tuesday at Okpara Square, Enugu.
