Prince Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia state, said the entire South-East region has resolved to back President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Ikonne, who is the immediate-past executive secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA, downplayed the influence of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and Peter Obi, ex-presidential candidate of the Labour Party.
Speaking during on TVC’s ‘Politics Tonight’, Tuesday evening, Ikonne noted that Otti refused to follow Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, because he knew the former Anambra governor will not go far in his presidential ambition.
He also said Governor Alex Otti is no longer a factor because the governor does not have a party to even function.
He said, “I think we have gone beyond seventy percent. Some schools of thought believe that with the number of people and the caliber of people we have in APC today in the Southeast, 90 percent will not be a good result for us considering the moves, the decamping, and 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 where the Igbos reside for us to begin to engage them and sensitize them so they understand the need to key into the 2027 re-election bid of Mr. President.
“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, and 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.
“If the only governor elected on his platform has effectively abandoned him, what does that tell you?”
