Prepare to exit the Senate, Ikonne tells Abaribe after picking Senate forms

By Jude Opara

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia state and Senatorial aspirant for Abia South, Prince Paul Ikonne, has told Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe representing the district, to prepare to leave the red chamber.

Prince Ikonne said despite the fact that Abaribe has spent nearly two decades in the Senate representing Abia South, there has been no visible development his long stay has yielded for the district.

Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday after picking his nomination and expression of interest forms, Ikonne vowed to give effective representation for Abia South beginning from 2027 if given opportunity.

Ikonne, who is the immediate-past Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) under former President Muhammadu Buhari, said his decision to join the race was borne out of the urgent need to provide effective and quality representation for Abia South, which he noted has suffered years of under-performance at the National Assembly.

The aspirant reaffirmed that his senatorial ambition is driven by service, development and a determination to restore purposeful representation to the people of Abia South.
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When asked about his chances of winning the election, Ikonne, in a direct political challenge to the incumbent Senator Abaribe, declared that after nearly two decades in the Senate, it was time for Abaribe to return to his Ohuru village and join his kinsmen in settling village land disputes.

He said: “If you are familiar with Senator Abaribe very well, you will realize 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 village.

“Currently, Abia South does not look like a district with his representation in the Senate. That is why I have stepped forward, to offer real representation, align our people with the federal government, and attract the federal presence and development our district deserves,” Ikonne stated.

He called on Nigerians, irrespective of political, ethnic or religious differences, to support President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, describing the President as committed to laying the foundation for long-term national transformation and prosperity.