A prominent chieftain of the Labour Party and close ally of Mr Peter Obi, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Prince Emeka Mamah, has revealed the reasons behind his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State, along with several others.
Speaking at the PDP state headquarters in Enugu, Mamah explained that he and his supporters were swayed by the leadership style and remarkable performance of Governor Peter Mbah. He said Mbah’s commitment to good governance was a major departure from the poor leadership witnessed in the past and had rekindled faith in the PDP.
“The present governor, Peter Mbah, has shown that governance is not supposed to be what it used to be in the past. He has endeared my heart so much and that is why somebody like me, the person I brought here today, and so many other people will have to join the party,” he stated.
Mamah, who served as the Coordinator of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign in Enugu State during the 2023 general elections and was formerly Commissioner for Environment and Rural Development, further disclosed that more high-profile defections were imminent. He said many former LP stalwarts and supporters of the Obi/Edeoga ticket were ready to align with the PDP due to Mbah’s inclusive leadership.
“In the next couple of days, there is going to be a lot of movement of people that I worked with when we were with Chijioke Edeoga and Peter Obi in the last elections. So many of our members are going to be part of this movement to PDP and in support of Peter Mbah,” he added.
Joining him in the defection was Titus Odo, the immediate past publicity secretary of the Labour Party in the state and the party’s former chairmanship candidate for Igboeze North Local Government Area. Odo described his return to the PDP as a homecoming and commended Governor Mbah for his developmental strides.
He said, “The governor’s giant strides in the state” had inspired his decision to rejoin the PDP, along with his supporters.
While receiving the defectors, the PDP state chairman, Dr Martin Chukwuweike, welcomed them warmly and predicted the decline of other political parties in Enugu.
He remarked that the defection of influential figures such as Mamah and Odo was evidence of the PDP’s growing strength in the state. “Other political parties are on the verge of sinking in the state,” he declared.
