Udeh Okoye, a former opposition party chieftain, has predicted that another state in the South-East will soon join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okoye made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, following his defection to the APC alongside Governor Peter Mbah and other party leaders in Enugu State.
Okoye attributed APC growing influence in the South-East to leadership and management failures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He dismissed suggestions that defectors were coerced or financially induced to join the ruling party, saying the move was driven by a desire for better governance.
“The PDP is dead, what you now have in Enugu is a carcass, nobody is there,” Okoye said. He blamed the party’s internal leadership crisis and poor management for the wave of defections, naming top officials he claimed were responsible for the party’s collapse.
Governor Mbah, who formally announced his defection to the APC, said the move aimed to connect Enugu State to the federal government for greater development.
Sources indicate that more governors may follow Mbah’s path, with Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri reportedly finalizing his move to the APC.
The South-East geopolitical zone consists of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. Currently, the APC governs Imo, Ebonyi, and Enugu States, while Anambra remains under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Abia under the Labour Party.
Earlier this year, Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, also joined the APC, bringing their officials and appointees along.
