…Receives Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, others at grand reception in Enugu
WED OCT 15 2025-theGBJournal| The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said on Tuesday that the gale of defections by politicians from other political parties to the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) exposes the cracks in the camp of the opposition.
He noted that while these cracks are becoming visible, the APC is growing stronger by the bridges it has constructed.
The Vice President, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, spoke at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu during the grand reception of Governor Peter Mbah, his cabinet, and supporters into the APC.
He described the decision by the Enugu State Governor and thousands of his supporters to defect to the governing party as an extraordinary endorsement of APC’s collective vision.
“Much has been said about the ongoing wave of defections to our great party. What the opposition has failed to do is look into the mirror to ask why the APC remains the preferred destination of Nigeria’s most visionary political actors.
“Their departures are not accidents; they reveal the cracks in the walls they built and the strength of the bridges we have constructed. The APC has, over the years, become a political home where ideas find expression, where ambitions find direction, and where patriotism finds partnership,” he stated.
The VP noted however that as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had often points out, it is not the duty of the governing party to fix the house of the opposition.
”Our task is to offer Nigerians a level playing ground and a clear alternative built on integrity, competence, and performance. That we are chosen again and again as the political party of the moment and of the future is because we represent order over chaos, progress over paralysis, and hope over despair,” he added.
The VP Shettima maintained that the APC has nurtured relationships built on trust, accommodating divergent interests, and offering a platform where every Nigerian with noble intentions can find purpose.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s capacity to listen as well as his inclusive style of leadership and belief in merit has galvanized the party into the most formidable political platform in Africa.
“This is why every progressive mind, every reformist, and every visionary, sooner or later, finds their path leading here. So, to you, Your Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, and your team — welcome home. In the APC, you have found an enduring family, an ally in your journey, and a party that recognises your worth.”
The VP told Governor Mbah that he is now the leader of the APC in the state in line with the party’s tradition, pointing out that the governor now carries “the noble challenge of rebuilding the APC in, and from, Enugu State.
“You are not just a frontline stakeholder within the state; you are now a leading voice at the national level. Mr President has assured you of his full support, and I want to reaffirm that we stand ready to partner with you in deepening development and democratic dividends for the people of Enugu,” he added.
On his part, National Chairman of the APC, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, welcomed the Governor into the governing party, noting that they were now in “the soul and family of the Progressives; the APC.”
He thanked the governor for boldly taking the decision to take his people into the promised land through the APC.
“Governor Mbah has revamped the education sector, he has built roads and has done a lot for his people, that is why we welcome him home. He has a progressive heart, that is why we are glad to welcome him home,” Prof Yilwatda stated.
Declaring his membership of the APC, Governor Mbah described APC as the largest political party in Africa.
He said his defection into the governing party is a new beginning that marks the end of wallowing on the sidelines, adding that his defection was a collective decision of the entire political family of the state.
“We are affirming today collectively that we are going together as a zone to put an end to segmented politics. We are moving to take the opportunity at the national level,” he said.
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