By Sebastine Chukwuebuka Okafor, Ph.D.
I have seen so many comments, reports, opinions and averments on various social media platforms calling Barr. Jonathan Chijioke Edeoga all sorts of names for leaving the Labour Party, throwing his support behind Governor Peter Ndubisi Mbah and joining the PDP in 2024. These tantrums were also made during one of my recent posts on my Facebook platform where I threw my support for him as part of my way of practising 2027 support across party lines.
When Barr. Edeoga made that move, many political pundits saw it as one in the right direction and what was needed for political stability in the state.
First, it started with moves by the entire leadership of the then PDP, led by their state chairman, Dr. Martin Chukwunwike, who visited his house twice in full glare of local and national media, begging him to rejoin the party and pitch his tent with Governor Mbah for the progress of the state. The journey was one that took months after the final verdict on his case at the Supreme Court, which is the apex court in Nigeria.
Secondly, the Labour Party was becoming a sham following a series of defections and internal issues. Everyone knows that the party started experiencing heavy feuds among its leaders, to the extent that they began having double congresses and conventions between Peter Obi’s loyalists and those of Julius Abure, the party’s National Chairman. At that time, 12 out of 14 members of the State House of Assembly elected under the LP were already in the PDP, the same as some House of Representatives members. The state chapter of the party also became so factionalised that members were attempting physical attacks on one another.
No sane, visionary political leader would see that situation and not plan his way forward because such a person needs to protect the interests of his political family and supporters. So, when the call came from the Governor himself to join, he began consultations with his political family. Barr. Edeoga consulted far and wide before taking what, to him, was the best decision for the future of his political career by pitching his tent with Governor Mbah and the PDP. He also consulted me as one of those that he respects so much.
To me, such a move was critical because, a few months down the line, Mr. Greg Obi also left the Labour Party and joined the ADC coalition after the SDP coalition failed. It was clear that Mr. Greg did not support him during the 2023 gubernatorial election in Enugu State because of reasons best known to him. He was then seen by many as a pseudo-Nsukka ticket, even when it was clear that Eha-Amufu, where he is from, is from Enugu East Senatorial Zone. These same people who made these allegations against him then are still the ones wailing that he pitched his tent with Governor Mbah.
It is a known fact that their partnership also metamorphosed into the APC when it became clear that the PDP was heading for doom. No visionary political leader would stay in the party at that time because it was a time bomb waiting to explode and derail someone’s political aspirations. Even if he had stayed back, it would still not have worked. He would have joined the ADC and NDC and, by now, would be struggling to appear on the ballot, just as it is happening now with those in the party. It is also a known fact that some of the people who followed Mr. Greg to the ADC and now the NDC are now politically stranded, as they sail on an ocean of uncertainty.
Assuming he had stayed back, his followers would have left him, and he would have been in a serious political mess by now because Ndị Enugu West would fight him, Ndị Nkanu would fight him, Uzo-Uwani would still not vote for him, and Governor Mbah would still defeat him, either by hook or by crook.
So, when people talk about Barr. Edeoga being a betrayer, they are wrong. He is a pure democrat, a clairvoyant leader, a far-sighted political leader who saw tomorrow and understood the need to make difficult political decisions when the circumstances demanded them. His decision may be debated by different political actors, but political movements are often shaped by changing realities, alliances and calculations. For those who followed him, the central question should therefore be whether his decisions were made with the long-term interests of his political family and supporters in mind.
