Vice-President Kashim Shettima has declared Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State as the new leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking at the official ceremony held at Okpara Square, Enugu, on Tuesday, Shettima said the APC constitution recognizes the sitting governor as the leader of the party in any state.
“As far as the APC Convention and Constitution are concerned, the governor is the leader of the party in the state,” he said.
“Your Excellency, you are now the leader of the APC family in Enugu State. I am the Vice-President, but the leader of the APC in Borno is Gov. Babagana Zulum.
The President of the Senate is number three citizen, yet the leader of the party in Akwa Ibom is Gov. Umo Eno. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is number four citizen, but the leader of the APC in Kaduna is the governor of the state,” Shettima explained.
The Vice-President described the Igbo as “the Nigerian Jews” — geographically mobile, economically enterprising, and educationally ambitious.
He lamented that for the past 12 years, the Ndigbo, one of the most vibrant ethnic groups in Africa, had been at the margins of Nigerian politics.
“But with the coming of Mbah, alongside the energy of Gov. Hope Uzodinma and Gov. Francis Nwifuru, I believe the Ndigbo have now come to the mainstream of Nigeria,” he said.
Shettima assured that President Bola Tinubu is committed to fairness and inclusion, describing him as “a man whose word is his bond” and who believes “in merit over sentiment.”
He praised Mbah for joining the ruling party, saying, “You are a progressive. I believe you had a broom hidden in your umbrella all these years, waiting for the right moment to bring it out.”
Shettima also assured that Mbah and his supporters would be treated justly and that all planned developmental initiatives would reach the South-East.
He commended APC governors and party leaders in the South-East for their unity and continued support for the Tinubu administration.
