Former Democratic Republic of Congo President, Joseph Kabila, has been sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes and treason.

The charges concern accusations that Kabila had been supporting the M23, a rebel group who have wreaked devastation across the country’s eastern region.

Kabila was convicted on Friday of treason, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, including murder, sexual assault, torture and insurrection.

Kabila however rejected the case as “arbitrary” and said the courts were being used as an “instrument of oppression”. His current whereabouts are unknown.

The 54-year-old led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding his father Laurent, who was shot dead in 2001.

Kabila handed power to President Félix Tshisekedi in 2019, but they later fell out and Kabila went into self-imposed exile in 2023.

In April this year, the former president said he wanted to help find a solution to the deadly fighting in the east and arrived in the M23-held city of Goma the following month.

President Tshisekedi accused Kabila of being the brains behind the M23 and senators stripped him of his legal immunity, paving the way for his prosecution.

Decades of conflict had escalated earlier this year when the M23 seized control of large parts of the mineral-rich east, including Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports.

Pointing to overwhelming evidence, the UN and several Western countries have accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23, and sending thousands of its soldiers into DR Congo.

But Kigali denies the charges, saying it is acting to stop the conflict from spilling over onto its territory.

A ceasefire deal between the rebels and the government was agreed in July, but the bloodshed has continued.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the party, Chief Augustine Nnamani, has said the PDP is to be blamed should the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, ultimately dump the party.

Rumours have been rife over Governor Mbah’s plan to defect from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Premium Times, an online newspaper, reported that the governor’s defection date would be announced after the last lap of a wide stakeholders’ consultations scheduled to end last week.

It named former governors of Enugu State, including Sullivan Chime as well as former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, among other senior members and supporters of the APC in Enugu, as personalities believed to have influenced Mbah’s decision to join the APC.

It further quoted Governor Mbah’s media aide, Uche Anichukwu, of acknowledging the recent wave of political consultations in the state, although he denied any final decision to dump the PDP.

However, reacting to the development yesterday, Chief Nnamani, said he would not be surprised if Mbah eventually defects to the APC or any other party, saying PDP should bear the blame if it happens.

“Yes, I can confirm that there have been consultations on the future of Enugu State in particular and South East in general, given how the PDP has treated the region. But, the final decision lies with the governor at the end of the day based on the aggregations of the feedback.

“As a PDP devotee, it is painful that things were allowed to deteriorate to this level in our party. The South East PDP had acted in accordance with the directive of the National Working Committee by nominating Sunday Udeh-Okoye to complete the remaining term of office of the National Secretary occupied by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who had gone to contest the Imo governorship election. It was supposed to be a routine thing, given the established tradition in the PDP.

“Finally, the Supreme Court, in its considered wisdom, returned the matter to the PDP to decide, saying that neither the court nor the Independent National Electoral Commission had jurisdiction over who becomes party leaders. One expected the party leadership to put their feet down to do the right thing, especially when the NWC and subsequently the PDP Governors’ Forum directed that the South East should go back to nominate Anyanwu’s replacement again. But, for whatever reason, party leaders kept playing hide and seek,” he stated.

He accused the party of betraying both Mbah and the South East PDP.

“I have been in this party for so long. Until now, I never saw an entire region thrown under the bus to make one person happy. More so, a region like the South East that has successively given the party its all, sometimes, even when we had our own sons on the tickets of other parties as presidential and vice presidential candidates.

“Governor Mbah was also betrayed, even by his own colleagues. I say so because I have been in the PDP long enough to know that in matters like this, PDP governors rally round their own. But, in this instance, both Mbah and the region were thrown under the bus. The party chose the interest of one man or a few individuals over and above the South East interest and position.

“We must recall that the South East PDP already told the PDP to choose between the region and those narrow interests. So, if Mbah defects, he would only be making good the region’s clear threat to reconsider their future with the PDP if the party continued to disrespect their collective interest and position. And that being the case, the party has itself to blame,” he said.

He added that Mbah’s defection, if it eventually happens, would not be like any other defection.

“It means that South East, which used to control the five South East states, would now be the only geopolitical zone without a PDP governor.

“It will also be a huge loss to the PDP as Mbah is unarguably one of the most celebrated and outstanding governors in Nigeria as of today,” he concluded.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections which preparation is already gathering momentum, a prominent politician and former Local Government Chairman of Nkanu East Local Government Area, Hon Ejike Ani has joined the APC.

At a ceremony organized by the APC leaders in Amechi Idodo/Oruku Ward to welcome him and his supporters at the weekend, Chief Ani promised to throw his weight and ensure victory for APC in the forthcoming elections.

He said, “I want to join a party that is moving smoothly with better promises; a party with a clear vision and direction. That party is APC.

“I am particularly attracted to the party by the achievements recorded by the Minister Hon Uche Nnaji and his clear vision for the people.

“The era of promises in politics is over; it’s time for action and Uche Nnaji has shown clear direction.”

Chief Ani said he didn’t want to mobilise fully for the ward declaration promising that the local government declaration will definitely would witness full attendance of his supporters.

This is just ward level it will be a bigger one when we get to the local government level.

Ejike Ani, a grassroots mobilizer had earlier resigned his membership of the PDP before taking the step of joining the ruling party.