…Says governors, key stakeholders aligning with President
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and senatorial aspirant for Abia South, Prince Paul Ikonne, has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is receiving increasing political support across the South-east ahead of the 2027 general election.
Mr Ikonne, who recently launched a grassroots mobilisation platform, Asiwaju Tsunami 2027, in Abia State, said the initiative was designed to galvanise support for Tinubu’s re-election across Igbo-speaking states and among South-east communities nationwide.
The former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA, stated this on Thursday during a media interaction in Abuja.
According to him, the political landscape in the South-east has shifted significantly since the 2023 elections, with many governors and influential stakeholders now allegedly aligning with the Tinubu administration.
He specifically pointed to the relationship between the President and governors in the region, including Abia State Governor, , as evidence of growing acceptance of Tinubu’s leadership in the South-east.
“One clear indication is that even governors elected on opposition platforms are working closely with the President. That shows there is growing confidence in his administration and its policies,” Ikonne said.
He argued that the current administration’s policy of allowing more resources to flow directly to states and local governments was helping governors execute development projects more effectively.
According to him, many people in the South-east now believe the federal government is creating an enabling environment for grassroots development.
Ikonne also dismissed the idea of a single-term presidency for former Labour Party presidential candidate, , insisting that the South-east would rather support a candidate capable of serving a full eight-year tenure when the region eventually produces a president.
“Other regions that produced presidents had the opportunity of completing eight years. The South-east would also want the same opportunity whenever it is their turn,” he said.
The APC chieftain maintained that the political momentum that favoured Obi in the 2023 elections had weakened considerably, citing internal crises within the Labour Party and shifting alliances among key political figures in the region.
He added that his group was already mobilising support for Tinubu “shop-to-shop and market-to-market” across major commercial centres populated by Igbo traders and businessmen nationwide.
Ikonne further described Tinubu’s 2023 electoral victory as “a wind,” predicting that the President’s 2027 re-election bid would gather “tsunami-level support” across the country, particularly in the South-east.
On recent moves by opposition elements to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South, Ikonne argued that such decisions indirectly support Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“If the presidency remains in the South, then naturally it supports the argument that President Tinubu should complete eight years, just like previous administrations from other regions,” he said.
Commenting on Abia South politics, Ikonne said residents of the senatorial district were demanding a change in representation after nearly two decades of representation by Senator .
He alleged that the district had not witnessed enough developmental projects despite its economic importance to Abia State and the South-east region.
“Abia South remains the commercial backbone of the state because of Aba, and it is also an oil-producing area. Many constituents believe there should be stronger representation and greater development,” he said.
Ikonne expressed confidence in his chances of clinching the APC ticket and winning the senatorial election in 2027, insisting that the political tide in Abia South was changing rapidly.
