A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, Paul Ikonne, has said Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe will not return to the Senate in 2027.
Ikonne stated this in a statement issued on Thursday, insisting that constituents in Abia South Senatorial District had resolved not to re-elect Abaribe after nearly two decades in the National Assembly.
According to him, the senator has failed to deliver meaningful developmental projects to the district despite representing the zone for about 20 years.
Ikonne criticised Abaribe’s stewardship, alleging that there were no visible constituency projects across Abia South to justify the senator’s long stay in office.
“Senator Abaribe is already coming back home. This is 20 years in the Senate, and there is nothing to show for it. There is nowhere you will go and see any constituency project in the entire Abia South,” he said.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the APC chieftain further described Abia South as a strategic economic zone not only for Abia State but also for the South-East region.
“It is interesting to note that Abia South is the engine hub of Abia State and, by extension, the Southeast because Aba is the commercial nerve centre for the Southeast. Abia South is also the oil-producing zone for Abia State. Yet there is nothing to show for it,” he added.
‘People Preparing To Welcome Abaribe Home’
Ikonne also claimed that residents of the district had already concluded plans to end Abaribe’s tenure in the Senate in 2027.
“So he is already coming back home. People are preparing to welcome him back home, and some group of people are pushing for him to be given a traditional title to take over one community in his local government,” he stated.
The former NALDA boss recently declared his intention to contest the Abia South Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Ikonne also expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would secure re-election in 2027 and complete two terms in office.
He added that after Tinubu’s presidency, power would return to the South-East region for a full eight-year tenure.
According to him, the region should begin to position itself strategically ahead of the expected political transition after Tinubu’s administration.