Abia State House of Assembly member Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jnr, elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform, has been invited to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu. The appeal was made during a meeting in Umuahia on Saturday, where Kalu emphasized Erondu’s potential value to the APC’s strategy for the 2027 general elections.
Kalu, a prominent APC figure, argued that remaining in the PDP would hinder Erondu’s political development. He stated that the APC requires energetic politicians with grassroots connections, such as Erondu, ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign. “Staying in the PDP is under-developing yourself. APC needs people with potentials like you. This is the right time to come. There is life in APC,” Kalu said during the interaction.
The Deputy Speaker framed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election as a national priority that transcends individual ambitions, underscoring the need to collaborate with effective state-level politicians like Erondu, who he described as widely respected in his Obingwa-West constituency. Kalu also highlighted the APC’s organisational growth in Abia State, noting that the party has registered over 160,000 members in the state—a significant figure in a region historically dominated by the PDP.
Erondu, who represents Obingwa-West, was acknowledged by Kalu for his constituency empowerment initiatives. In his response, the lawmaker thanked the Deputy Speaker for the visit and expressed gratitude for the show of solidarity. He pledged to reciprocate the gesture and indicated he would consider working towards Tinubu’s re-election bid, without explicitly confirming a party switch.
The meeting underscores the APC’s concerted effort to strengthen its presence in Nigeria’s South-East geopolitical zone, a PDP stronghold, by attracting incumbent elected officials ahead of the 2027 polls. Erondu’s potential defection could signal continued realignment within Abia State politics, where the APC has been actively building its membership base. His decision is being closely watched as an indicator of the ruling party’s ability to make inroads in opposition-dominated states. The development reflects broader trends of political realignment as parties gear up for the next electoral cycle.
