A senior figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne, has said political leaders in the South-East are working towards delivering the region to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election, insisting that even 90 per cent of the votes would be inadequate.
Ikonne, the immediate past Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), said the South-East is fast becoming a near one-party region in support of the President.
He spoke on Tuesday evening during an interview on TVC’s Politics Tonight, where he dismissed the relevance of the Labour Party and claimed that Abia State Governor Alex Otti distanced himself from Peter Obi’s move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) because he believed Obi’s political influence was waning.
Ikonne also argued that Governor Otti has lost political relevance, claiming the governor lacks a functional party structure.
Reacting to the recent endorsement of President Tinubu by South-East leaders in Enugu State, Ikonne said:
“I think we have gone beyond seventy percent. Some school of thought believe that with the number of people, the calibre of people we have in APC today in the South-east that 90 percent will not be good result for us considering the moves, the decamping, the harvest of people that we are getting.
“Let me give you a clearer picture so you can understand what it means for the entire south. What Governor Hope Uzodinma is doing is not only for the Southeasterners residing in the South-east. No, he has set up a team which I am part of now going around all the states in Nigeria wear the Igbos reside, for us to begin to engage them, sensitize them, for them to understand the need to key into the 2027 re-election bid of Mr President.
“So the votes that will come from the South-east will not only be judged by the ones from those who are residing within the South-east but from the ones also who are residing outside the South-east. Outside that, using Abia as a case study, PDP has almost emptied into APC in Abia state. What does that tell you? It tells you that the votes which were lost without having PDP, now that those in PDP are part of APC in other states, we will have them.”
Asked about Governor Otti’s popularity in Abia State, Ikonne said: “Our governor is minus one. This Governor Alex Otti is minus one in the sense that he doesn’t even have a party. As of today, he’s a member of the Labor Party but he conducted local government elections with ZLP.
“He has abandoned Peter Obi. So what does that tell you? He started with Peter Obi and he’s not ending up with Peter Obi. Why is he afraid? Why is his interest hinting towards APC? Because you have seen that people have shifted, Abians have shifted, southeasterners have shifted to support President Tinubu.
“Now no Southeasterner will want to stay out or will want this region to stay out of the center. We cannot keep isolating ourselves. No, southeasterners are no longer willing and ready to isolate themselves from governance because we need power and we are traders, we are businessmen and women.
“Aligning with the center helps our businesses. We are all over nigeria and we cannot be seen to be against government at the center so that is why the work that governor hope and other leaders are putting in to see that we people understand the need for us to re-elect President Tinubu but not just with 10, 20 percent no.
“I did say sometime ago that South-east will eventually become the stronghold of APC and with this endorsement, it is beginning to be obvious that we are getting towards that point.”
Ikonne further stated that Peter Obi no longer possesses the political strength to rival President Tinubu in the South-East ahead of 2027.
According to him, the endorsement by sitting governors, former governors, past Senate Presidents, ministers and other key political actors signals a strategic return of the region to the centre of national politics, indicating a decline in Obi’s influence.
“The calibre of leaders backing this endorsement shows a clear consolidation of political structures in favour of President Tinubu and the APC,” Ikonne said.
“Politics is about numbers and structure. When leaders who command followership align, the votes follow.
“This endorsement is a clear statement that the South-East has properly realigned with the centre to ensure that its votes count,” he said.
He also played down Obi’s political standing, especially in the South-East, citing alleged divisions within the ADC and the absence of strong party structures.
“If the only governor elected on his platform has effectively abandoned him, what does that tell you?” Ikonne asked, referring to Governor Otti.
Ikonne rejected claims that the APC lacks credibility in the South-East, maintaining that the ruling party has become the primary destination for defectors from opposition parties.
“The Igbos are not fools and no Igbo man wants to make one mistake two times. No not at all,” he said.
He also dismissed recent criticisms of President Tinubu by the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Eyinnaya Abaribe, alleging that the senator has lost political relevance and would not secure re-election.
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