Paul Ikonne, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state, says leaders of the south-east are targeting more than 90 percent of the votes in the region for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Ikonne, immediate past executive secretary and chief executive officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), said the south-east is almost a one-party region for the president
On Sunday, governors of the APC in the south-east endorsed Tinubu’s re-election bid, pledging to mobilise bloc votes across the region for the ruling party in the 2027 general election.
Speaking on politics tonight on TVC on Tuesday, Ikonne dismissed the influence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the region.
“I think we have gone beyond 70 percent,” he said.
“Some schools of thought believe that with the number of people, the calibre of people we have in APC today in the south-east, that 90 percent will not be good result for us considering the moves, the decamping, the harvest of people that we are getting.
“What Governor Hope Uzodimma is doing is not only for the south-easterners 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, sensitise them, for them to understand the need to key into the 2027 re-election bid of Mr President.
“So the votes that will come from the south-east will not only be judged by the ones from those who are residing within the south-east but from the ones also who are residing outside the south-east.”
Using Abia state as a case study, he said the PDP has “almost emptied into APC”, adding that the development would boost the ruling party’s vote haul.
Ikonne said south-east residents are no longer willing to isolate themselves from governance, arguing that alignment with the centre is necessary for economic relevance.
“Aligning with the centre helps our businesses; we are all over Nigeria and we cannot be seen to be against government at the centre,” he said
“That is why the work that Governor Hope and other leaders are putting in is to ensure that our people understand the need to re-elect President Tinubu, but not just with 10 or 20 percent.
“I did say sometime ago that the south-east will eventually become the stronghold of APC, and with this endorsement, it is beginning to be obvious that we are getting towards that point.”
Ikonne said Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, no longer commands the political strength to match Tinubu in the south-east ahead of 2027.
He said the endorsement by serving and former governors, ex-senate presidents, ministers and other political leaders signals a return of the south-east to the centre of national politics.
The calibre of leaders backing this endorsement shows a clear consolidation of political structures in favour of President Tinubu and the APC,” Ikonne said.
“Politics is about numbers and structure; when leaders who command followership align, the votes follow.
“This endorsement is a clear statement that the south-east has properly realigned with the centre to ensure that its votes count.”
Ikonne also alleged internal disarray within Obi’s new political platform, the ADC, saying weak party structures would hinder any serious challenge in 2027.
He dismissed claims that the APC lacks credibility in the south-east, insisting that the ruling party has become the major destination for defectors.2
