By Jude Opara
More than 6,000 members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Enugu State have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates by their former party.
The defectors, led by Godwin Obasi, were formally received into the PDP in Enugu on Saturday.
Obasi said the decision followed the NDC’s selection of candidates whom the group considered unpopular among its members.
“We decided that we were going to join the PDP. It is our right and choice. So, after he congregated, we are here today to officially join the PDP,” he said.
He claimed that the defectors came from all 260 wards and 17 local government areas of the state.
The development comes ahead of the 2027 general elections and represents a movement of members from the NDC into one of Nigeria’s established opposition parties.
The PDP governorship candidate in Enugu State, Chief Uche Nnaji, who received the defectors, assured them that they would be integrated into the party.
Nnaji also used the occasion to criticize the administration in the state, alleging that it had failed to fulfil its promises to residents.
He particularly criticised the state’s taxation policies and raised concerns over pension and gratuity payments to retirees.
“Our pensioners are not being paid. Enugu is the only place where pensions and gratuities are not being paid to our people,” Nnaji alleged.
He also questioned the level of internally generated revenue reported by the Enugu State Government in 2025, alleging that the revenue had come at a significant cost to residents.
Nnaji further claimed that the Federal Government had released substantial funds to states under President Bola Tinubu and questioned how the resources received by Enugu had been utilized.
The claims about the state government’s finances and pension payments were made by Nnaji at the event and were not independently established in the report.
PDP chieftain Chief Basil Ani described the defection as a significant boost for the party as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development follows earlier efforts by the NDC in Enugu to strengthen its grassroots structures ahead of the elections. In June, the party inaugurated zonal officials for its Directorate of Contact and Mobilization across the state.
The latest defection is being presented by the PDP as an expansion of its support base in Enugu, while the NDC has yet to publicly respond to the claims concerning the number of members who left the party or the reasons given for their departure.
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