By Chesa Chesa
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Abia State and senatorial aspirant for Abia South Senatorial District, Prince Paul Ikonne, has challenged incumbent lawmaker Enyinnaya Abaribe to prepare to vacate his seat in the Senate after picking his nomination and expression of interest forms to contest on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday morning, Ikonne said Abaribe, who currently represents Abia South in the Senate, had spent nearly two decades in the National Assembly without delivering meaningful development to the district.
The former Executive Secretary of National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) under former President Muhammadu Buhari said his decision to contest was driven by the urgent need to provide effective and quality representation for the people of Abia South.
According to him, the district has suffered years of under-performance and requires a new direction focused on service, development and purposeful leadership.
Ikonne, in a direct political attack on Abaribe, said the time had come for the senator to return home after years in office. He accused the lawmaker of being disconnected from grassroots realities and failing to attract meaningful federal presence to the zone.
“If you are familiar with Senator Abaribe, you will realise that he is an attention seeker and a media creation. He has long lost touch with the grassroots and our people are saying enough of his noise-making; it is time for him to return to the village,” Ikonne said.
He added that Abia South did not reflect the benefits expected from long-term representation in the Senate, promising instead to focus on infrastructure, empowerment programmes, strategic interventions and stronger national relevance for the district if elected in 2027.
Ikonne also expressed confidence in the current 11th Senate, describing it as one that would consolidate reforms initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He called on Nigerians across political, ethnic and religious lines to support Tinubu’s reform agenda, which he said was aimed at laying the foundation for long-term national transformation and prosperity.
With Ikonne’s purchase of nomination forms, the race for the Abia South Senate seat appears set for an intense political contest ahead of the 2027 general elections.
