…says the legislator is not in touch with reality
A leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Paul Ikonne, has reacted to the harsh accusation against the APC and the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Speaking on Channel TV’s Politics Today program on Monday night, the federal lawmaker stated that it would be difficult for Tinubu to win a new term in office in 2027, stating that the economic policies of the current administration have impoverished Nigerians.
He said: “The next election will be APC against the people of Nigeria. Nigerians are suffering and they are suffering badly. Those who defect to the APC are suffering and are just waiting for us to make decisions. It is good that the defection is happening now. Most of Tinubu’s supporters cannot go home and say they support Tinubu; they will be stoned. The economy has collapsed and security is nothing to write home about.”
In his response on Tuesday during a TVC programme, the APC leader maintained that opposition figures like Senator Abaribe are already in a state of panic ahead of the upcoming general elections.
Ikonne argued that Senator Abaribe no longer maintains active engagement with his constituents and therefore does not appreciate the changing political dynamics in the state and the South-East region at large.
He said: “If you know Senator Abaribe very well, you will realize that he is an attention seeker. He is always seeking attention. This is a man who did not win his own elections in 2023. A young man defeated him during the elections, and anyone who wants to know the details must know what the young man presented in Court against Senator Abaribe.
“What Abaribe showed clearly showed that the opposition, if any, is panicking. The president won the elections, not just in one state but in the entire country, and his popularity has increased more than in 2023 because 90% of the PDP in the entire South East has collapsed into the APC.”
The former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), noted that recent developments in the South East confirmed his position that the Tinubu administration is now enjoying a groundswell of support.
He said: “As we speak, about 90 percent of the PDP structure in the South East has collapsed into the APC.
“The raw material of politics is human beings, and those human beings are now gravitating towards President Tinubu. This is the reality in the South East and in Nigeria as a whole. I can assure you that there will be a tsunami in Asiwaju in 2027.”
He further stated that the federal government’s recent intervention projects in the Southeast are not influencing public support among the region’s electorate.
Ikonne cited the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, as well as the Agricultural and Social Investment Programmes, among the projects that have endeared APC and Tinubu to the region.
He said: “Even the blind and deaf can see that Nigeria is developing rapidly under President Tinubu. That is why the APC continues to attract supporters from all parties.
“This is not about a one-party state; it is about building a strong platform, and you know that empowered politicians, when they see a strong platform, they do not waste time; they cross paths, and it is obvious that APC is the platform to beat.
“Just like now in the South East, the region is now the stronghold of APC if you look closely. So the door is still open for those who have seen the light to join us, and for those who have not seen anything, we wish them well.”