Enugu, Nigeria – October 17, 2025–
In a robust defense of her unwavering backing for Governor Peter Mbah’s recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Princess Ada Ogbu has dismissed criticisms of “stepping on toes” and called on dissenting voices within the party to rally behind the move. As a foundation member of the APC, Ada Ogbu rejected accusations, while emphasizing that securing a sitting governor is a monumental achievement that strengthens the party’s foothold in the Southeast, urging unity over division in the face of political realignments.
“I was very happy and elated when the governor decided to join us,” Ada Ogbu stated in an interview, positioning her support as a principled stand for progress and party loyalty. She argued that Mbah’s entry into the APC fulfills every politician’s aspiration for power at state and national levels, especially given his tangible results in office. “We are in power in Enugu State now,” she asserted, highlighting Mbah’s swift completion of key projects like the International Conference Centre and Presidential Hotel, which earned praise from attendees at the Nigerian Bar Association conference. “I can see the government is working. Supporting him to join the APC is a natural thing for me, because he has done well.”
Addressing internal pushback and social media debates, Princess Ada Ogbu rejected accusations of offending colleagues, framing politics as inherently dynamic and interest-driven. “Politicians can be colleagues and still hold different opinions,” she said. “I won’t let anyone shape my opinion for me—I am an accomplished woman in my own right, an accomplished politician in my own right.” She invoked the APC’s own origins as evidence: “If President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of ACN did not align with Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC, we wouldn’t have the APC of today. Realignments happen in politics. You go where your interest and the interest of your people are best served.”
She went further, calling Mbah a “big catch” and a “very big achievement” for the APC, particularly in the Southeast where the party has sought greater influence. “It’s a plus for the APC that they have a governor in Peter Mbah,” she declared. “Why would I now fight Peter Mbah in a party that I helped to form? He is also my brother from Nkanu East, and a performing one.” She urged reticent members to “change and support Peter Mbah,” emphasizing that opposition to his integration undermines the party’s growth. “It will make no sense not supporting a sitting governor into your party,” she added, affirming her refusal to challenge the National Working Committee’s (NWC) decision to dissolve the state structure. “We have the National Chairman, we have the party leader who is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and that decision has been made. I will not fight it, and will encourage everybody, both people who feel aggrieved by the Governor’s entrance, to change and come back into the fold.”
Her call for unity echoes her view of politics as “ndorondoro ka ana akpo ya”—a game of shifting alliances—where “there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.” Princess Ada Ogbu cited examples like her own past electoral rivalries, noting that she now maintains relations with former opponents such as Prince Lawrence Ezeh and Senator Kelvin Chukwu. Similarly, she pointed to Chijioke Edeoga’s post-election collaboration with Mbah as proof that grudges should not hinder progress.
Rooted in Independence: A Legacy of Principled Defiance
Ada’s defense draws from her independent streak, honed under the influence of her father, Eze Odenigbo 1 of Nara Unateze, yet distinctly her own. While her father, a revered philanthropist and kingmaker who ascended the throne in 1973-1974, championed PDP figures like Chimaroke Nnamani and handed him the gubernatorial mantle in the late 1990s, Aguocha charted a progressive path. “He wanted me to join the PDP. He even got me a PDP membership card once, but I refused,” she explained. “We didn’t agree on politics as I was more of an opposition. I was more progressive in thinking.”
Educated in Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh and holding a master’s from the University of Port Harcourt, she attributes her resolve to her global exposure: “He didn’t send me to England and America to study for me to come and not have a mind of my own.” Her father’s fearlessness—famously defying Governor Chimaroke Nnamani to support Ken Nnamani’s Senate Presidency, retorting to dethronement threats with, “You cannot dethrone me. When I was a man of influence, you were still a child running around naked”—mirrors her own stance against internal party pressures.
Building the APC from the Ground Up: CPC Roots and Lagos Alliances
Ada’s credibility in defending Mbah’s defection stems from her foundational role in the APC. Drawn to Muhammadu Buhari’s “discipline, integrity, and uncompromising attitude towards corruption,” she joined the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Lagos and campaigned during the 2011 elections. When the CPC merged with Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in February 2014, she registered as a card-carrying member in Ikoyi-Obalende ward under the leadership of Olawale Edun, now Minister of Finance.
Her Lagos alliances were pivotal: Close ties to President Tinubu’s confidant Mr Kola Awodein SAN and his wife Mrs Amaka Awodein, whom she describes as a big sister, provided insider access, enabling her to serve as an APC agent alongside Amaka in the 2015 Buhari-Jonathan polls. At Chief Onyemauche Nnamani’s request, she lobbied Tinubu to resolve Enugu’s 2014 congress crises, countering a faction led by Ben Nwoye—her first major Enugu intervention.
Relocating to Enugu, she reregistered in Nara Ward 1, contested senatorial primaries in 2019 and 2023 (winning Supreme Court affirmation as the rightful 2019 candidate), and supported APC’s 2023 gubernatorial hopeful Uche Nnaji, former Minister of Science and Technology. These experiences, she argues, underscore why Mbah’s addition is a “big deal”—a strategic win she helped build the party to achieve.
A Forward-Looking Plea for Party Harmony
In her defense, the Nara-born Princess portrays Mbah’s defection not as a disruption but as an opportunity for Enugu’s pride and progress, echoing the struggles of elders like her father-in-law Professor Godwin Odenigwe and Chief C.C. Onoh, who fought for the state’s creation. “For my generation, being from Enugu became a point of pride,” she said. By calling on dissenters to “follow suit,” Ada Ogbu positions herself as a bridge-builder, defending her position as essential for the APC’s future in the region. Political observers note this could solidify the party’s Southeast presence, though it demands the unity she advocates.
Read more: Chukwuebuka Okafor Bookastro Apologises to Princess Ada Ogbu, Retracts Lies and Half-Truths He Wrote
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