2027: Can APC Win Enugu State Without Gov Mbah?

“In the 2023 general elections, data showed that the Sleeping Minister and his handful of garrulous supporters only managed to rig one or two polling units in their favour during the gubernatorial race, while they failed to deliver any votes for the president. There is no pretending about it—they do not, in fact, belong to the Renewed Hope Agenda. Even now, they have not acquired the necessary depth of understanding to appreciate the meaning and complexity of the agenda. This continues to reflect in how they manage their responsibilities, prompting Nigerians to term their office a ‘sleeping ministry.’ Yes, the President, being a man of equity and fairness, chose to carry them along.” — Engr. Adamu Wahid, Leadership School of Thought

First, I consider it unnecessary to join issues with the Sleeping Minister and his media hirelings despite their recent wave of mischief in Enugu State. However, failure to clarify the facts and deconstruct their concocted fallacies would wrongly suggest that the public has a short memory and can be browbeaten into believing their propaganda.

Second, the media has been awash with the claim that the APC has the political capability to pull the strings and take over Enugu State in 2027, under the current leadership of political featherweights led by the Sleeping Minister and the factional party chairman. Facts and reality suggest otherwise.

Third, the belief that the Sleeping Minister could muster the political courage to win any election in 2027 in Enugu State is refuted by available data and needs to be addressed.

Fourth, despite abundant data from both independent sources and INEC, it is a fantasy to suggest that the APC, as currently structured in Enugu, could make any significant impact in 2027. It is, in fact, a near impossibility for the APC to win even a single ward. In the past, the Sleeping Minister and his lightweight lieutenants only managed to salvage one or two polling units through rigging, while losing their own wards.

Fifth, the hirelings of the Sleeping Minister—along with his loud but ineffective lieutenant—are piloting a dying party in need of urgent resuscitation. They have launched a futile campaign of calumny against a man of the people, whose reputation continues to grow within and beyond Nigeria. Desperately, they seek to drag an award-winning, resourceful, and dynamic governor down to their sleepy, inactive, and politically irrelevant level.

But no—Governor Peter Mbah is focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to the good people of Enugu State. He will not be distracted by idle gossip. He is too committed to governance. Just yesterday, I attended a meeting where Nigerians in the diaspora made it clear that they had come to Enugu to see for themselves what people had been saying about Governor Mbah’s transformative work.

The leader of the group, Ambassador Ezechi Udoka, stated: “We returned for the recent diasporan discussion in Abuja. But while in Europe and America, discussions about Nigeria always featured Governor Mbah and his transformative administration. People spoke of him and Governor Alex Otti as beacons of hope. We came home with friends to see things for ourselves. In just over two years, we saw real reforms and transformation. We believed. We are eager to invest in Ala Igbo, particularly in Enugu State.”

That statement is just one of many. Meanwhile, those spending their days reading newspapers and attending funerals and weddings are disheartened by Governor Mbah’s rising profile at home and abroad.

When President Bola Tinubu visited Enugu on January 4 to commission landmark projects executed by the Mbah administration, he left a strong message for those who had contributed little to national development. The president not only praised Governor Mbah’s commitment and pace of delivery, but also urged him to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda—suggesting a political alliance between innovation and national transformation.

Recognising Governor Mbah’s visionary approach, the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, openly invited him to join the APC. A few weeks earlier, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo had also visited Enugu to commission Enugu Air, one of Mbah’s flagship projects. Keyamo expressed admiration for the governor and admitted that defeating him in any Enugu election would be nearly impossible—much to the dismay of the Sleeping Minister.

Calls, pressure, and lobby efforts to have Governor Mbah join the APC are growing louder. People now openly question the relevance of the Sleeping Minister and his clique.

There’s no need to overthink it. The Sleeping Minister has dismantled the vibrant APC he inherited from former state chairman Hon. Ben Nwoye. Today, the APC in Enugu resembles a shell—fractured by selfishness, division, and incompetence. It is widely believed that only Governor Mbah can inject fresh energy into the party, leading it to electoral success in 2027 and winning decisively for President Tinubu.

Finally, any man who struggled to win his own polling unit as a gubernatorial candidate in 2023 has no political future. It’s a sign of weakness and public rejection. Governor Mbah, as the new sheriff in the APC, would uplift the party’s image and lead it to victory. His leadership would be a strategic asset to the party and the president.

I join in urging Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah to reconsider his loyalty to the PDP—a party that betrayed the Igbo people—and join us in the APC. Our arms are wide open to receive him.

Dr Nnaji, a chieftain of the APC, writes from Akpugo, Nkanu West LGA