More than 6,000 members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors, led by the NDC’s former Enugu State Contact and Mobilisation Coordinator, Godwin Obasi, were formally received into the PDP by the party’s state leadership in Enugu on Saturday.
The reported figure of more than 6,000 was given by the defectors’ leadership and has not been independently verified. �
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Obasi said the group comprised members drawn from all 260 electoral wards and 17 local government areas of the state.
He said they decided to leave the NDC following dissatisfaction with what he described as the party’s choice of unpopular candidates for various elective positions.
“We decided that we were going to join the PDP. It is our right and choice. So, after we congregated, we are here today to officially join the PDP.
“We are from all the 260 wards and 17 local government areas in the state, and all of us have moved into the PDP from today,” Obasi said.
Obasi had earlier been identified as the NDC’s state coordinator for contact and mobilisation in Enugu, where he was involved in building the party’s grassroots structure ahead of the 2027 elections. �
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Receiving the defectors, the Enugu State PDP Chairman, Vitus Okechi, welcomed their decision and assured them of equal rights and full participation in the affairs of the party.
Okechi said the new members would be integrated into the party’s structure and given opportunities to participate in its activities.
Also speaking, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Uche Nnaji, assured the defectors of their full integration into the party.
Nnaji used the occasion to launch fresh criticism against the Enugu State Government, alleging that the administration had failed to fulfil some of its promises to residents.
He urged residents to participate actively in what he described as efforts to change the political direction of the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nnaji particularly criticised the state’s taxation policies, alleging that the government’s revenue drive was placing undue pressure on residents without corresponding benefits.
He further alleged that taxation had extended to newborn babies and deceased persons, while questioning the tangible impact of the revenue generated by the government.
On pensions and gratuities, Nnaji alleged that retirees in the state were being denied their entitlements. 
“Our pensioners are not being paid. Enugu is the only place where pensions and gratuities are not being paid to our people.
“Nothing is paid to our people. Everybody is in a mess.
“Imo and Anambra pay their pensions and gratuities to date. What sin have we committed in Enugu State?” he asked.
Nnaji also claimed that the Enugu State Government had received substantially more federal funds under President Bola Tinubu than the three previous administrations combined.
He alleged that the funds received in about three years exceeded what the administrations of former governors Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi received during their combined 24 years in office.
“And President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has released so much money to all the states. What this government here has received is more than what the three previous governors, Chimaroke, Sullivan and Ugwuanyi put together.
“What they received in 24 years, this government has received in about three years. We are talking of trillions,” he said.
He also questioned the level of internally generated revenue reported by the Enugu State Government in 2025, alleging that the revenue collection had imposed additional hardship on residents.
The allegations made by Nnaji were political claims made during the defection event and were not independently verified in the reports reviewed. �
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Meanwhile, PDP chieftain Basil Ani described the movement of the NDC members into the PDP as a boost to the party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development comes as political parties in Enugu intensify grassroots mobilisation and positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections.
