The contest for the Abia South Senatorial seat intensified on Wednesday as Paul Ikonne formally joined the race, launching a sharp critique of incumbent Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, spoke with journalists after obtaining his nomination and expression of interest forms at the party’s ongoing sales exercise at the Ladi Kwali International Conference Centre, Abuja Continental Hotel.
The former Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority said the long-serving lawmaker should begin preparing to exit the National Assembly.
He described his entry into the race as a “rescue mission” for Abia South, arguing that the district had lagged behind despite Abaribe’s nearly two-decade tenure in the Senate.
​”My decision to join the race is borne out of the urgent need to provide effective and quality representation for Abia South, which has suffered years of under-performance at the National Assembly,” Ikonne stated. “Our ambition is driven by service, development, and a determination to restore purposeful representation.”
​Questioned on his chances of unseating the veteran lawmaker, Ikonne did not mince words, dismissing Abaribe’s legislative record as more style than substance.
​”If you are familiar with Senator Abaribe very well, you will realize that he is an attention seeker and a media creation,” Ikonne told newsmen. “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.”
​In a direct political challenge, Ikonne suggested that after twenty years in Abuja, the incumbent’s talents would be better used locally.
​”It is time for Abaribe to return to Ohuru village and join his kinsmen in settling village land disputes. His long stay in the Red Chambers has yielded no meaningful development for the district. Currently, Abia South does not look like a district with his representation.”
​Ikonne, who served under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, promised to leverage his federal experience to bring tangible benefits to the district. He emphasized that his goal is to move beyond “rhetoric to results” through infrastructure and strategic empowerment.
​”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,” he added.
​Beyond his local aspirations, Ikonne expressed confidence in the upcoming 11th Senate’s ability to consolidate the reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He urged Nigerians to look past ethnic and political divides to support the current administration’s “long-term national transformation.”
​With the purchase of these forms, the race for Abia South has officially entered a high-stakes phase, setting the stage for what many observers expect to be the most competitive contest for the seat in recent history.