Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
APGA’s Abaribe says “Ikpeazu is Wike’s lackey”.
The unfolding realignments of interests, coalitions and memberships of politicians and political parties have set in motion what will be a battle royale for the votes of Abia South Senatorial zone.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who, until it a few days ago served as the Minority Leader and the PDP-elected representative of Abia South in the Nigerian Senate since April 2007, has repurposed his campaign efforts to return to the Senate on the platform of a different but regionally popular political party, APGA.
One of his formidable opponents in the forthcoming senatorial elections in 2023 will be the outgoing Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
The Governor is still running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
When USAfrica magazine and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu asked Senator Abaribe “to speak to the context and significance of the looming electoral showdown in the Abia South senatorial constituency which includes the core Igbo city of Aba”, his response was direct. He stated emphatically that “the people in Aba, the entire Abia State and the Igbo people deserve a representative, a senator who will have the courage to speak in our best interest. On the other hand, the Abia Governor Ikpeazu is a lackey of Wike’s (the Governor of Rivers State). Ndi Abia will not support such a candidate who will always need clearance from another person on issues concerning our people and our interests.”
On the fundamental issues which have accelerated his latest disagreements with Ikpeazu, he told USAfrica that “The PDP decided to ignore the laws and guidelines set for elections and nominations, and decided to act contrary to those matters. The bane of Nigeria as a country is that people commit offences and then say ‘ooh, we made a mistake’, ‘please let’s move forward’ and patch things up. The Governor (Ikpeazu) simply ‘took’ the PDP nomination, the seat…. They thought I will walk away. No; I will not do that. I will deny them that which they have been scheming for. I’ll run again for the Senate as an APGA candidate.”
Abaribe, an outspoken politician, served as the elected deputy Governor of Abia State (with then Gov. Orji Uzo Kalu), from May 29, 1999 to March 7, 2003.
This report will also appear on the various e-groups and Whatsapp platforms such as IgboWorld, AbiaWorld powered by USAfrica.
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