Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has declared that the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is targeting a minimum of two million registered members, signalling what he described as the end of an era of fragmented politics that allegedly denied the state the full benefits of alignment with the Federal Government.
Akahi News gathered that Mbah made the declaration on Thursday at Owo in Nkanu East Local Government Area during the official flag-off of the APC electronic registration (e-registration) exercise. He described the exercise as a defining step in consolidating the recent political movement from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
‘The Time of Playing on the Sidelines Is Over’
Addressing party members and stakeholders, Mbah said the political shift was a deliberate choice to embrace partnership and progress at the national level.
“It was just barely two and a half months ago that we chose partnership, progress, and chose to stop being on the sidelines. The time that we played fragmented politics is over,” the governor said.
According to him, Enugu could no longer afford to remain politically isolated if it hoped to attract greater federal attention and development.
“We no longer want to be on the sidelines. We want to be at the centre and play dominant politics. This requires that we support the politics at the centre,” Mbah stated.
Akahi News learnt that the governor argued that political relevance at the national level was closely tied to electoral strength, stressing that minimal support could not yield maximum benefits.
“We are not going to give five per cent and expect the same treatment as those who gave 95 per cent. We now have a duty to change that,” he added.
Two Million Registration Target
Mbah disclosed that the party had set a clear target of registering at least two million members across the state, noting that the movement into the APC was collective rather than personal.
“So, we have a target of registering a minimum of two million persons here in Enugu because when we had this grand movement, it was not about Peter Mbah or the state government. It was total,” he said.
He further emphasised the need to entrench the party’s identity at all levels of society.
“We have work to do to ensure that the banner of our political party is entrenched in our various homes, not just communities. We are APC in the morning, APC in the day, and APC in the night,” Mbah declared.
‘We Have Not Come to Displace Anyone’
Explaining the rationale behind the October 2025 movement from the PDP to the APC, the governor assured existing party members that the process was inclusive.
Akahi News gathered that Mbah stressed that the e-registration exercise was not designed to sideline old members but to strengthen the party.
“We have not come to displace those who were already in the house. We have come to co-mingle with them and increase our numbers. At the end of the day, it is the people we are going to do this politics with,” he said.
He called for discipline, transparency, and flexibility from party agents, supervisors, and coordinators to ensure a smooth registration process.
Tinubu’s Policies to Reach the Grassroots
Mbah also assured party faithful that President Bola Tinubu’s programmes would increasingly impact grassroots communities in Enugu State.
Highlighting the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, he said it was designed to directly empower over 8.8 million Nigerians, with indirect benefits expected to reach about 40 million people nationwide.
“If you are worried about when macroeconomic stabilisation will percolate to the micro level, the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme is the answer,” Mbah said, adding that the initiative would help lift millions out of poverty.
APC Leaders Speak on Digital Registration
In their separate remarks, the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Chief Emma Eneukwu, and the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, said the e-registration exercise was aimed at modernising the party’s membership system.
Eneukwu explained that the initiative was designed to digitalise the party’s database in line with 21st-century standards.
“The party has been doing registration before now. But this time, the party is trying to copy what Governor Mbah is doing, just like there are Smart Schools and Smart everything in Enugu,” he said.
Observers say the aggressive membership drive could significantly reshape Enugu’s political landscape ahead of future electoral contests, as the APC seeks to consolidate its presence in the state.
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