By Chinedu Adonu
ENUGU — More than 6,000 members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors, led by Mr Godwin Obasi, were formally received into the PDP by the party’s state leadership in Enugu on Saturday.
Obasi said the defectors were drawn from the 260 electoral wards and 17 local government areas of the state, adding that they decided to leave the NDC over what he described as the party’s decision to field unpopular candidates for various elective positions.
He said the group had collectively resolved to join the PDP and participate fully in its activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We decided that we were going to join the PDP. It is our right and choice. So, after we congregated, we are here today to officially join the PDP.
“We are from all the 260 wards and 17 local government areas in the state, and all of us have moved into the PDP from today,” Obasi said.
Receiving the defectors, the Enugu State PDP Chairman, Chief Vitus Okechi, described their decision as timely, assuring them of equal rights and full participation in the affairs of the party.
Okechi promised that the new members would be fully accommodated and given opportunities to participate in the party’s activities.
Also speaking, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Chief Uche Nnaji, assured the defectors of their full integration into the party.
Nnaji, however, used the occasion to criticise the Enugu State Government, alleging that the administration had failed to fulfil its promises to residents.
He called on residents to participate actively in what he described as efforts to change the political direction of the state.
According to him, a major policy of the administration had been the introduction of taxes, which he alleged were imposing hardship on residents.
Nnaji further alleged that taxation had extended to newborn babies and deceased persons, while questioning the tangible benefits residents were receiving from the state’s revenue drive.
On pensions and gratuities, he alleged that retirees in the state were being denied their entitlements.
“Our pensioners are not being paid. Enugu is the only place where pensions and gratuities are not being paid to our people.
“Nothing is paid to our people. Everybody is in a mess.
“Imo and Anambra pay their pensions and gratuities to date. What sin have we committed in Enugu State?” he asked.
Nnaji also claimed that the state had received significantly more funds under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu than previous administrations.
He said the state had received more funds in about three years than the combined amount received by the three previous governors, Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, during their 24 years in office.
“And President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has released so much money to all the states. What this government here has received is more than what the three previous governors, Chimaroke, Sullivan and Ugwuanyi put together.
“What they received in 24 years, this government has received in about three years. We are talking of trillions,” he said.
He also questioned the internally generated revenue figures announced by the Enugu State Government in 2025, alleging that the revenue drive had come at the expense of residents.
Nnaji urged residents to join what he described as a collective effort to bring about political change in the state.
Also speaking, a PDP chieftain, Chief Basil Ani, described the defection of the NDC members as a boost to the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development comes amid intensified political activities in Enugu State as political parties step up grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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