Amb Ejike Eze, former Nigerian diplomat and 2023 senatorial candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu North Senatorial District, has resigned from the party. He cited the takeover of APC structures in Enugu State by defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the reason for his exit. Governor Peter Mbah and several political figures, including members of the state Executive Council and local council chairmen, had defected from PDP to APC in 2022. Dr Martin Chukwunweike, former PDP state chairman, emerged as APC state chairman through consensus, a move that sparked discontent among founding APC members. Eze claimed the new entrants took over all executive positions at ward, local government, and state levels, sidelining original APC members who had contributed financially and politically.
He stated he gained nothing from joining APC and criticized the lack of communication between leaders and grassroots members. Eze emphasized his continued commitment to representing Enugu North in the Senate, accusing the state government of marginalizing the zone despite its population size. He referenced the Deputy National Chairman, South position, which he said constitutionally belongs to Enugu North but was given to another zone and later to a townsman of the governor. Eze warned against candidate imposition and election rigging in 2027, insisting on fair political inclusion.
Amb Ejike Eze's resignation exposes the quiet erosion of internal democracy within the APC in Enugu State, where political realignment has become less about ideology and more about positional capture. The swift consolidation of power by PDP defectors, particularly the appointment of Dr Martin Chukwunweike as state chairman through consensus, signals a top-down restructuring that sidelines founding members. Eze, a 33-year public servant and former aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo, being unable to access key state officials underscores a leadership insulated from its own ranks.
This is not merely a party crisis but a reflection of how political defections are repurposing party structures without broad consultation. The mass exit from PDP to APC did not expand democratic space; it shifted control to a new elite cluster centered around Governor Peter Mbah. Eze's complaint about the Deputy National Chairman slot being diverted from Enugu North reveals deeper regional inequities in political appointments, even within the same state. When a seasoned figure like Eze speaks of blocked access to the governor or a local minister, it suggests governance is becoming increasingly personalized.
Ordinary citizens in Enugu North, already skeptical of political elites, now have further proof that party membership changes do not translate to accountability. If mid-level leaders cannot get audience, the average voter stands no chance. This alienation could fuel voter apathy or, conversely, ignite demand for independent candidacies in 2027. The warning against candidate imposition is not empty rhetoric—it reflects rising impatience with top-down political engineering. A broader pattern is clear: across Nigeria, defection waves are less about policy and more about repositioning for power, often leaving original members and grassroots supporters behind.
