South-East Shift: PDP’s Stronghold Slips Away

For much than 2 decades, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) held a steadfast grip of the South East, dictating who gets what and erstwhile successful the geo-political zone.

For the amended portion of that period, PDP, arsenic ruling enactment astatine the center, produced Senate presidents, governors, ministers and different highly elevated non-elective positions.

Although the enactment continued to predominate the portion adjacent successful the aboriginal years aft it mislaid powerfulness astatine the halfway successful 2015, it wasn’t the same.

After the 2015 wide elections aggrieved members began to defect to different governmental platforms, weakening the party’s instauration successful the zone.
But with the caller defection of its hitherto lone serving politician successful the region, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, the enactment has mislaid its 1 much signifier grip of the region, analysts opine.

A enactment erstwhile successful full control…
Top politicians from the South East, particularly erstwhile precocious Vice President Alex Ekwueme, were among cardinal founders of the PDP successful 1998.

As specified from 1999 erstwhile antiauthoritarian regularisation returned, the PDP made beardown inroads successful the portion winning each the 5 states successful the South East, namely, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra and Abia.

These states consistently voted for the enactment until the governmental scenery began to change.
It started successful Anambra State erstwhile the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) nether erstwhile Governor Peter Obi, defeated the PDP successful 2006.

PDP successful the authorities had been dogged with interior wranglings betwixt the past governor, Chris Ngige and Chris Uba.

This was the archetypal authorities to propulsion retired of PDP’s power and has remained with APGA ever since, acknowledgment to the sentimental entreaty it has for the precocious Igbo hero, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Nevertheless, portion APGA held sway successful the state, PDP inactive pulled beardown numbers during wide elections.

For instance, successful 2019, Anambra delivered much votes for PDP than galore confederate states, contempt the information that the authorities was not nether PDP’s governorship.

Also, determination were periods erstwhile PDP won legislative seats (Senatorial, House of Reps, State Assembly) successful Anambra during and aft Obi’s tenure.

Next was Imo and Abia states successful 2007 but they were short-lived then. Ikedi Ohakim and Senator Theodore Orji, won the Imo and Abia governorship election, respectively, successful 2007.
They won connected the level of Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), owned by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a erstwhile PDP politician of Abia.

But interior wranglings and alleged overbearing power of the enactment proprietor forced Ohakim and Orji to dump PPA and instrumentality to PDP, wherever they belonged to ab initio.
Still, portion nether PPA power PDP inactive maintained its dominance successful the states, winning astir each different elective positions.

PDP mislaid Imo to APGA successful the 2011 election. Rochas Okorocha emerged politician connected the level of APGA.
He subsequently joined the 2013 absorption merger statement which brought the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the portion for the archetypal time.

The authorities has remained nether APC control, contempt a little stint successful 2019 erstwhile PDP won with Emeka Ihedioha, but was reclaimed done the courts by the incumbent Senator Hope Uzodimma. Still PDP continued to triumph astir nationalist elections successful the state.

In Ebonyi State, the PDP continued to clasp sway until astir 2022 erstwhile erstwhile Governor David Umahi, elected nether the PDP defected to the APC.

Although helium cited marginalisation of the South East portion by the party, adjacent followers of governmental happenings successful Ebonyi State attributed his exit to the dwindling fortunes of the PDP.
Expectedly, galore members of the State House of Assembly followed him to APC, a improvement that importantly weakened the PDP successful the state.
As a result, the PDP mislaid the governorship predetermination successful the authorities successful 2023 and galore of its National Assembly seats.

The Obi tsunami

In the tally up to the 2023 election, erstwhile politician Obi, who had tally arsenic Vice Presidential campaigner successful 2019 to Atiku Abubakar of PDP, broke distant from the enactment and picked the Labour Party statesmanlike ticket.

He had argued that it was the crook of the South and peculiarly the South East to nutrient the adjacent president.

In the election, contempt PDP’s clasp of 2 states (Abia, Enugu) and APC’s power of 2 states (Ebonyi and Imo) portion APGA controlled Anambra, Obi’s Labour Party swept much than 90 percent of statesmanlike predetermination votes. It besides got galore national legislative seats crossed the region.

While the party’s triumph successful Enugu State was taxable to ineligible tussle which was yet won by PDP’s Mbah, the Labour Party was capable to triumph Abia State with Alex Otti, ending the 24 -year dominance of the enactment successful the state.

As a result, galore PDP leaders, including lawmakers and section authorities heads, defected to the APC and Labour Party.

PDP’s d...