Barr. Steve Oruruo Takes the Helm as PDP Inaugurates Enugu and Imo Caretaker Committees

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has once again entrusted the fragile but strategic leadership of its Enugu State structure to Barrister Steve Oruruo, a move that party stakeholders describe as a deliberate return to tested hands at a moment of intense political pressure and recalibration.

Oruruo was formally re-inaugurated as Chairman of the Enugu State Caretaker Committee on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, in a ceremony that symbolised both continuity and resistance as the party confronts sweeping defections and the overwhelming dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The oath of allegiance and oath of office were administered by the National Secretary of the PDP, underscoring the national leadership’s renewed confidence in Oruruo’s capacity to stabilise, reorganise and reposition the party’s Enugu chapter at a time many consider its most vulnerable.

The event, which also featured the inauguration of the Imo State Caretaker Committee chaired by Ikenga Jonjude Okere, formed part of the PDP’s broader strategy to rebuild its structures across the South-East, a region historically regarded as the party’s stronghold but now politically contested.

Setting the tone for the assignment ahead, the PDP South-East Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, delivered a blunt charge to the newly inaugurated committees, describing their mandate as nothing short of a “herculean task,” particularly in states where political power has shifted almost entirely to the APC.

“You have been called to serve. The job you have now is a very hard job,” Odefa said. “In your state everybody has gone to the opposition. In Enugu for instance, the Governor, Commissioners, LG chairmen, Senators, House of Reps, they have all gone to the APC. It is their right to go wherever they want to go to.”

Odefa cautioned that the caretaker leadership under Oruruo must prepare to operate without the advantage of state power or patronage, urging them instead to rely on grassroots organisation and unwavering commitment.

“So you know you have a herculean task, not expecting support from people in positions of power and authority. So it calls for you to work very hard,” he said. “Organise your states. If you organise your states, invite us, we will come there. We will come and talk to your people and your supporters. Nothing will happen. Heaven will not fall.”

He further accused unnamed party members of internal sabotage, vowing that the PDP would not allow itself to be dismantled from within.

“Unfortunately, we have some people in our party who are hell-bent on destroying the party, a party that made them who they are, so that they can continue to get crumbs from the tables of their masters in Abuja. But we will not allow that. We have been resisting them all the way,” Odefa declared.

Despite acknowledging the imbalance in access to power and resources, the zonal chairman framed the PDP’s struggle as a moral one anchored on faith and perseverance.

“With the state apparatus and everything they are using against us, we don’t have any of those things, but we have God. And since we have God, we are the majority,” he said. “When they come against us with too much money, too much positions and too much everything, we will come against them with prayers and supplications to God. Eventually, they will bow.”

Looking ahead to 2027, Odefa cast the coming elections as a defining moment for Nigeria rather than a routine partisan contest.

“The presidential election especially for 2027 is not just an ordinary contest. It is a contest between good and bad, a contest between hunger and survival. It will not be PDP versus APC. It will be Nigerians versus APC,” he said.

He painted a bleak picture of the country’s economic reality, citing soaring living costs. “Someone brought an invoice of shopping he did in 2014 for about ₦25,000. He took the same invoice to the market today and it was over ₦500,000. That is about a 2,000 per cent increase,” Odefa said. “People are hungry. In some places, people are picking from dustbins.”

Responding on behalf of the Enugu State Caretaker Committee, Barr. Steve Oruruo delivered a measured but resolute address, thanking the party leadership for the renewed confidence reposed in him and signalling readiness for the task ahead.

“Mr Chairman, I would not want to recycle truism,” Oruruo said. “It will be surplus requirement to emphasise what we are going to do for PDP. But I want to take something from your voice again.”

While embracing the emphasis on faith, Oruruo stressed that the PDP’s real strength in Enugu goes beyond spirituality and lies firmly with the people.

“It is said that if they have statecraft and the state structure, we have God on our side. But I want to reassure you that we don’t just have God, we have the people as well,” he said. “It is a struggle between qualitative voices and quantitative voices. On their side, they may have qualitative voices, but on our side, we have both the qualitative and quantitative voices. And the people are going to suppress them.”

Acknowledging the uncertainty triggered by recent political realignments, Oruruo admitted that anxiety exists across the state but insisted that the PDP has always found a way to rebound.

“In Enugu, there is palpable fear of what tomorrow may be. Decisions have been taken in high places that may not be in favour of the party that laid the golden eggs,” he said. “But the fear is that PDP will always rejuvenate with a thunderbolt and of course become a tsunami.”

He disclosed that efforts to reawaken the party’s grassroots base were already underway. “We’ve already galvanised and called on our people. They are already waiting for us. What we need to do is give them the enabling environment and freedom to express themselves, so that credibility will determine the outcome of elections,” Oruruo stated.

Calling for institutional fairness, Oruruo maintained that transparent electoral processes would naturally favour the PDP.

“If elections are left open, we are sure that PDP will scale through,” he said. “The Enugu leadership has the credibility and doggedness to face the opponent. Whatever tricks they come with, we are fortified enough.”

He also underscored the importance of credible candidacy as a pathway back to power. “If we offer credible candidates that the people love, it will resonate with the yearning of the ordinary people,” he said. “Give them the right candidate and they will beat everybody for you.”

Oruruo concluded with a firm declaration of confidence in the party’s resilience in Enugu. “The mood of the party in Enugu is buoyant. My people are resolute, committed, unwavering, indefatigable and unalloyed in their commitment to the PDP,” he declared. The ceremony also witnessed the formal inauguration of Ikenga Jonjude Okere as Chairman of the Imo State Caretaker Committee, as the PDP intensifies its effort to reclaim political relevance and organisational strength across the South-East.