An Abia State chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Paul Ikonne, has claimed that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe did not win his senatorial election in the 2023 general polls.
Ikonne also took a swipe at the senator over his recent remarks questioning the credibility of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election, describing such comments as politically desperate and disconnected from prevailing realities.
The APC chieftain made his position known on Tuesday while featuring on TVC’s Morning Show, This Morning, where he argued that Abaribe’s comments reflected growing anxiety within opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Senator Abaribe had on Monday claimed that President Tinubu did not win the 2023 election and would not win again in 2027.
Responding, Ikonne said the sustained criticism of President Tinubu’s mandate was driven by fear of the ruling party’s expanding influence across the country.
He maintained that Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 election was decisive and legitimate, adding that the President enjoyed broad-based support cutting across regions, ethnic divides and political interests.
According to him, attempts to cast doubt on the outcome of the election were revisionist and ignored the verdict already affirmed by the nation’s electoral and judicial institutions.
Ikonne further argued that Abaribe lacked the moral standing to question Tinubu’s electoral strength, particularly in Abia State, alleging that the senator had lost touch with grassroots realities.
He claimed that Abaribe no longer maintains active engagement with his constituents and has therefore failed to grasp the shifting political dynamics in Abia State and the wider South-East.
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 election in 2023. One young man defeated him during the election, and anybody who want to know the details should get what the young man filed at the Tribunal against Senator Abaribe.
"What Abaribe displayed showed clearly that the opposition, if any, are panicking. The President won election, not just in one state but across the country and his popularity has gone up more than what it was in 2023 because 90% of PDP in the entire South-east have collapsed into the APC."
The former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) said recent political realignments across the South-East signalled a growing acceptance of the APC and the Tinubu-led administration.
“As we speak, about 90 per cent of the PDP structure in the South-East has collapsed into the APC,” Ikonne said. “The raw materials of politics are human beings, and those human beings are now gravitating towards President Tinubu. This is the reality in the South-East and Nigeria as a whole. I can assure you that there will be an Asiwaju tsunami in 2027.”
He dismissed claims that Tinubu would struggle electorally in Abia State, accusing Abaribe of failing to keep abreast of developments in his constituency.
Ikonne said federal projects and interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda were already reshaping public perception of the APC in the region.
According to him, ongoing infrastructure works, including the rehabilitation of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, alongside agricultural and social investment programmes, are resonating strongly with the people of the South-East.
He added that the initiatives underscored the Tinubu administration’s commitment to inclusive development and equitable distribution of federal presence.
Ikonne also rejected claims that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party state, describing such arguments as excuses by politicians unwilling to accept the growing appeal of the APC.
He insisted that defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and other parties were driven by performance and popular support, not coercion.
“Even the blind and the deaf can see that Nigeria is developing rapidly under President Tinubu,” he said. “That is why the APC continues to attract followership from across party lines.”
He said:
"It is not about one-party state, it is about building a strong platform, and you know that chartered politicians when they see a strong platform they don't waste time, they cross and it is obvious that APC is the platform to beat.
"Like in the South East now, the region is now the stronghold of APC if you look at very well. 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."
Speaking on allegations of cross-carpeting without ideology, Ikonne likened political parties to religious institutions where people are free to come and stay.
"When you begin to preach the word those who do do not have a vision will see vision, those without plans will begin to have plans. That's what political platforms are meant to be.
"APC is a party of ideology, looking at the President, his programmes, he did establish a Blueprint for Lagos state when he was a governor, it was launched officially, and any governor that come after him will build on it. That's Progressive, that's where you see development.
"So, that Governor that played that foundation is now the President and that Blueprint will have been expanded to accommodate the diverse nature of Nigeria in order to develop the entire country. So APC has agenda, APC has ideology, ideology of development, ideology of raising the youths and ideology of inclusiveness.
"So, if those defecting to APC have seen the light because their houses were on fire and they need shelter, you accommodate them, educate them and when they will begin to see the difference. And that's why they are not leaving. That's the beauty of democracy. It is a global thing and not just about Nigeria."
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