Chief Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, alongside other APC leaders, welcomed over 5,000 defectors from the Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) into the Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during a rally in Aku town, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.
Joined by APC State Chairman Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, Hon. Sunday Umeha (Udi-Ezeagu federal constituency), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike Muonso (Director General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council), and other party leaders, Nnaji attributed the mass defection to growing recognition of President Bola Tinubu’s projects in Enugu. However, he criticized Governor Peter Mbah’s administration for high taxation and mismanagement, which he said has made Enugu the second most expensive city in Nigeria, exacerbating economic hardship. “Hawkers selling sachet water pay N300–N500 daily, amounting to over N100,000 yearly,” Nnaji said, lamenting the lack of investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Commending Engr. Celestine Attah, a former APGA House of Assembly candidate who led the defectors, Nnaji promised more jobs and federal infrastructure for Enugu. He vowed that the repositioned APC would take over the state government in 2027 and urged support for Tinubu’s re-election to secure more federal benefits. “APC is no longer a mercantile party used for trading with PDP,” he said, noting that internal saboteurs have been removed.
Chief Agballah thanked Tinubu for reconstructing the Ninth Mile–Opi–Makurdi road into a dual carriageway and other federal projects, contrasting this with the neglect of Igbo-Etiti’s roads under 26 years of PDP governance. He emphasized APC’s commitment to competitive democracy to end PDP’s “poor governance” and restore Enugu’s status as a leading state in the South East. “Enugu was once more developed than Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Delta,” he said, vowing to reclaim the vision of Enugu’s founding fathers.
Hon. Umeha, speaking for the APC House of Representatives caucus in Enugu, predicted APC’s victory at the Lion Building (Enugu Government House) in 2027. “Under Chief Nnaji’s inspiring leadership, we will ensure Enugu is fully connected to the centre,” he said, emphasising Enugu’s role as the South East’s headquarters.
Engr. Attah, representing the defectors, cited Tinubu’s appointments, including an Enugu indigene as Chief of Naval Staff, the establishment of a Naval College and base in Uzo-Uwani, and the Ninth Mile–Opi road construction as reasons for joining the APC. “This rally lays the foundation for APC to win Enugu in 2027,” he declared.
