A realignment of political forces has begun in the South-east geo-political zone ahead of the 2019 general elections.
In the last few months, some prominent politicians in the zone have quit the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress.
Among the defectors are a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu; a former governor of the old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo; and a former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo.
Others are a serving senator, Andy Uba; former Senators Ifeanyi Ararume, John Nwanunu, Nkechi Nwaogu, Fidelis Okoro, Chris Agboti; and a member of the House of Representatives, Tony Nwoye.
Businessmen, Emeka Offor and Ifeanyi Uba as well as the owner of Peace Mass Transit, Sam Onyishi, have also identified with the APC.
For the APC, the biggest catch has so far is Mr. Nnamani. Imo State’s Rochas Okorocha, the lone APC governor in the zone, was so excited at the defection of the former senate president that he declared him the leader of the party in the zone.
Ben Nwoye, who chairs the party in Enugu State, Mr. Nnamani’s home state, said with the defection of the former senate president to the party, “change” had begun to manifest.
Mr. Nnamani’s journey to the APC on January 22 had long been predicted. He left PDP in February 2016, claiming the party had abandoned “the path of its noble vision and values”. He did not state his next destination.
A year later, he said he joined the APC in the interest of the Igbo. “The South-East has a role to play in our nation; we can’t play that role from outside. We have to be inside to pay our role in Nigeria,” he said.
“Even if we want to ask that imbalances in the country should be corrected, we have to ask for that from inside. You cannot criticise, it is not about being confrontational.”
He said the manner the Yoruba voted in 2015 should be an eye-opener.
“They voted both sides but the South-east put their eggs in one basket,” he said. “I am not of the view that everybody should be in APC but those who have seen the need should do so.”
The moves by the defectors have significant political implication for 2019, no doubt. Already, the zonal chapter of the APC is packaging a grand reception for the defectors.
But the PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, says it is not losing sleep just yet.
Austin Umahi, its national vice chairman (South East), said those leaving his party have no electoral value and are only rushing into the APC to look for “what they will eat.”
“I don’t lose sleep over that. I’m not bothered because all those leaving have no electoral value. Can they win election in their places? So why should I bother about it?” Mr. Umahi told PREMIUM TIMES by phone.
Insisting the PDP remains the dominant party in the zone, Mr. Umahi, who is Ebonyi governor, Dave Umahi’s brother, said “They (defectors) will regret their actions soon”.
The National Vice Chairman of the APC in the zone, Emma Eneukwu, disagrees.
He told PREMIUM TIMES that the performance of the APC at the federal level is the attraction for Igbo politicians.
“The (federal) government is working, it is performing. We are the in-thing. The main business in Nigeria is government and this government is performing,” Mr. Eneukwu said. “If you want to buy something from the market, is it the person coming from the market that you will send or the person going to the market. APC is the one going to the market.”
Fairly good ride
At present, APC only controls Imo in the South-east. The PDP controls Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi while the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has Anambra State.
While this appears its moment of greatest test, PDP, for more than a decade, has had a fairly good ride in the region.
Upon restoration of democracy in 1999, the party swept the governorship polls in the five states. In 2003, the party, which was also in power at the federal level, repeated the feat.
However, soon after, Chris Ngige, who had won the governorship election on the platform of the PDP in Anambra State was ousted by the court in 2005, paving the way for Peter Obi of APGA, which has since retained control of the state.
In 2007, Mr. Kalu, who was rounding off his second governorship term in Abia, floated the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA, on whose platform his successor, Theodore Orji, won the election. Mr. Orji, now a senator, later defected to the PDP.
His Imo state counterpart then, Ikedi Ohakim, who had won on the same platform also joined the PDP, thus giving PDP control of four of the South Eastern states. Ebonyi and Enugu have been ruled by the PDP since 1999.
In 2011, Mr. Okorocha won the governorship election on the ticket of APGA but later took a section of the party to join the opposition parties that formed APC.
The PDP has also won virtually all the National Assembly seats in the zone since 1999.
For instance, in 1999, except the senatorial seat of Imo West won by Arthur Nzeribe, Enugu North, won by Hyde Onuaguluchi and Abia Central won by John Nwanunu, all of the defunct All Peoples Party, APP, the remaining 12 senatorial seats in the zone were won by the PDP.
However, midway into his tenure, the court sacked Mr. Onuaguluchi, a catholic reverend, and installed Ben Collins Ndu of the PDP as the senator for the district.
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