ENUGU: The Special Adviser (Political) to the Governor of Enugu State, Hon. Frank Anioma (Ezesinachi), has rejected claims that Governor Peter Mbah’s move from the PDP to the APC was a survival strategy. He described it as a decision driven by vision and one of the best political moves the governor could have made.
Hon. Anioma made the remarks on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, as guest on Political Conversations, hosted by Dr Uchenna Cyril Anioke on Freedom Square TV.
“The man who saw tomorrow”
Asked about the strengths of the APC in Enugu State, Anioma said its major strength was the coming together of notable political forces in the state under the party. He said this acceptance did not happen on its own but followed the governor’s performance in office.
According to him, the dividends of democracy delivered by Mbah led the people to embrace the party he leads. He described the governor as “the man that saw tomorrow,” with a vision and the courage to pursue it.
He said the programmes and policies of the government made it easy for major political players in the state to welcome the movement into the APC.
Weaknesses? “Not yet”
On the party’s weaknesses, Anioma said he did not know of any yet. He said dissenting voices were natural in a democracy because no one can please everybody. He added that opposition parties were helping to keep the political contest competitive.
“To win an election is to survive”
The host noted that critics saw the defection as a survival move and asked whether the governor would have struggled to secure a second term had he stayed in his former party.
Anioma said Nigeria’s constitution does not allow independent candidacy, so any aspirant must run on a party platform. He claimed that if independent candidacy were allowed, Mbah would “not be a pushover” and could possibly win even without a party. He said the governor left because his former party had disintegrated to a degree no one expected.
“What do you mean by survival strategy?” Anioma asked. “Whatever we are doing, is it not to survive? To win an election is to survive.”
He said the campaign was focused on telling voters what the administration had done in three years. He listed a presidential hotel, the reclaiming of the state from herders who previously used it as grazing ground, the planned revival of Sunrise Flour Mill, locally produced palm oil now in markets, and machinery bought to produce vegetable oil.
Political climate “normal and peaceful”
Earlier in the programme, Anioma described Nigeria’s political climate in an election year as normal and peaceful. He said government actors had shifted more of their time to politicking than to governance, and noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has lifted the ban on campaigns at national and state levels.