..As Mbah participates in Owo Ward, advertises APC’s achievements

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Enugu State chapter of the party for what it described as free, fair, credible, and exemplary House of Representatives primary elections in the state.

This was even as Governor Peter Mbah joined other party faithful in Owo Ward, Nkanu East LGA, to affirm the Member representing Nkanu East/Nkanu West Federal Constituency, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, who was the only aspirant standing for the primary election, as the party’s House of Representatives candidate in the 2027 general elections.

Addressing newsmen at the party’s secretariat in Enugu after observing the exercise in Owo Ward and other parts of the state, Chairman of the APC House of Representatives Primary Elections in Enugu State, Hon. Solomon Funkekeme, expressed satisfaction with the process and outcome of the primary elections in the wards monitored firsthand by members of his team, as well as the reports reaching them from various parts of the state.

“One thing is clear: Enugu State APC has continued to stand out as a shining example in internal democracy, party cohesion, consensus-building, and commitment to the party’s success over and above individual interests.

“You were with us at Owo and we have our men in other parts of the state. This is consensus in action. I believe it is the same with other places we have not monitored, based on the reports reaching us.

“But above all, it is leadership in action. I commend the leader of the party in the state, Governor Peter Mbah, as well as the chairman and members of the State Executive, for the peace and synergy we have witnessed,” Hon. Funkekeme said.

Meanwhile, addressing party faithful in his Owo Ward, Governor Mbah thanked them profoundly for the large turnout and for their peaceful conduct across the state.

“What you have seen here today is what you are going to witness across different federal constituencies in Enugu State. There might be just one or two federal constituencies where we may have a contest.

“So, I think that you people should be proud of yourselves because you are becoming a model of what grassroots democracy should be, what internal party democracy should be; and an example of a rancour-free primary exercise where people are coming out in their numbers to support a candidate of their choice, where there is a contest. This is what democracy means. And this is what APC represents for this country,” he stated.

Mbah urged party faithful in the state to come all out to market the achievements and programmes of the APC government at the state and federal levels ahead of the general elections.

“If you also look at what this party has done at the national level, you will see that the pressure and tensions we had at our macroeconomic level have gone. What it means is that the states and the local governments are now able to serve you better, courtesy of the policies and programmes of our great party.

“So, you should be proud of this party and you should make sure that you carry the news, carry the message of what this party is doing for our country to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

“We have not finished yet. Look at the country. You may only have started seeing the signs. But I can tell you, the foundations have been built. The fundamentals are in place. What Nigerians need to do is to support APC to come back and get the job finished. It is extremely important. We cannot afford to go backwards. We must move forward.

“That is why you cannot afford to stand on the margins. You cannot afford to be passive. You have to be proactive. You have to go from door to door, informing people about what is going on and the benefits supporting APC would bring to our people,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the state’s party chairman, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike, among other party leaders, joined the team from Abuja in monitoring the exercise at Owo and across the state.

All 31 governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC have thrown their weight behind a consensus arrangement for President Bola Tinubu’s return as the party’s presidential candidate in 2027.

Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, made the declaration on their behalf on Thursday in Abuja at the submission of Tinubu’s nomination and expression of interest forms.

According to him, the 31 APC-controlled states are united behind the president and committed to marketing his administration’s record to secure re-election.

Uzodimma told party leaders, members of the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council FEC that the governors’ endorsement of a second term for the president was not a new position but a fulfilment of a resolution made at the APC Political Summit last year, where governors elected on the platform of the party unanimously encouraged Tinubu to seek re-election.

“In furtherance of that resolution and in making sure it is implemented, we are here today with Mr President to submit his expression of interest form, showing that we are united and have reached a consensus in supporting Mr President to continue the good work he is doing,” Uzodimma said.

He said governors from all 31 APC-controlled states were firmly behind the consensus option for the presidential primary, effectively closing the door on a contested process at the party level.

Only one party chieftain, Stanley Osifo, has obtained forms to challenge Tinubu.

“On behalf of the governors elected on the platform of our Progressive Congress, from the 31 APC-controlled states out of the 36 states in Nigeria, we believe it is going to be a consensus,” he said.

Uzodimma pledged that the governors would work actively to campaign for the president’s re-election, saying they intended to ride on the policies and achievements of the administration to secure the public mandate required for a second term.

“We firmly commit ourselves to work assiduously to market the policies and successes recorded by this administration,” he said.

National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has criticized former presidential aspirant of the party, Peter Obi, alleging that he showed little interest in the party’s manifesto during his brief stay in the coalition plotting to unseat President Bola Tinubu.

On Sunday, May 3, 2026, Mr. Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and Labour Party Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, alongside former Governor of Kano State, Senator, Minister and Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP in the 2023 general elections, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, dumped the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Progress, NDC.

The duo cited the leadership crisis in the ADC as reason for their defection.

But speaking during Prime Time interview on ARISE Television, Mallam Abdullahi questioned Obi’s familiarity with the party’s positions on key national issues, noting that the ADC had invested considerable time in developing its policy direction.

“We set up a manifesto committee that worked for about two to three months to develop a document that clearly outlined what we will do differently,” Abdullahi said.

“You may invite His Excellency Peter Obi here and ask him, what is the ADC position on fuel subsidy? What is the ADC’s framework on security? He doesn’t know, because he’s never been interested.”

Abdullahi further alleged that some politicians were more focused on securing party tickets than engaging with ideological frameworks.

“They are just waiting for the tickets to be handed to them. If you say you want to contest election, and you believe in changing the country, you should know what your party stands for,” he added.

Abdullahi described the ADC as a party with clear ideology and structure capable of offering Nigerians credible alternatives, but according to him, some political actors were more interested in using the party as a mere “special purpose vehicle” for their personal ambition.

“Everything that the government has thrown at the ADC, we have resisted. We have fought back and remained committed to our goal of rescuing Nigerians from the failure of this government,” Abdullahi said.

“We have been fighting for democracy within a party that has given us the best chance to serve the Nigerian people. Even Peter Obi once said at a coalition meeting that if we present two candidates against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we would be handing him victory in 2027. So, what has changed?”

Dismissing claims that legal challenges influenced the defection, Abdullahi said the ADC currently faces only “three flimsy cases in court,” insisting that such concerns could not justify the exit.

He further stated that Obi received significant concessions within the party, including the opportunity to nominate the National Organising Secretary, a position widely regarded as the operational backbone of the party.

“None of the aspirants or leaders was given as much consideration as Peter Obi. The office of the National Organising Secretary is the engine room of the party. It handles congresses, elections, and core operations. That office is occupied by his nominee,” he said.

Addressing claims by some of Obi’s supporters that the party was skewed in favour of a particular candidate, Abdullahi said such assertions were unfounded.

“We met with Peter Obi consistently. He attended coalition meetings regularly. He made it clear he would only join if the ticket was zoned. He took nearly a year to join the ADC and never raised concerns about bias within the party, because there was none,” he added.

Using a metaphor to illustrate his point, Abdullahi said: “When a woman wants to leave a marriage, she gives all kinds of reasons, including being suffocated by too much love. That is what we are seeing now.”

He emphasised that while individuals are free to associate with any political platform, those who choose to leave should avoid offering what he described as “flimsy excuses.”

Abdullahi also revealed that Obi’s defection appeared to have been in motion for some time, citing a meeting held two months ago in Kano involving Obi, Kwankwaso, and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.

“After that meeting in Kano, I reached out to Governor Dickson and asked what had transpired. Kwankwaso had been considering joining the ADC, and suddenly, things changed. It raised questions about whether there were efforts to divide the opposition and create an advantage for the incumbent,” he said.

According to Abdullahi, Dickson indicated that the NDC remained an alternative platform open to interested politicians.

“What this suggests is that the defection of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was pre-planned. It even raises the question of whether Kwankwaso’s involvement in the ADC was a trojan horse at the onset,” he added.