ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne, has declared that the ruling party is targeting well over 90 per cent of votes from the South-East in the 2027 general election, insisting that anything less would fall short of expectations.
Ikonne, a former Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), also dismissed the continued political relevance of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, arguing that his influence in the region has significantly declined.
Speaking on Tuesday night during an appearance on TVC’s Politics Tonight, Ikonne said recent political developments and defections across the South-East had repositioned the zone as an emerging stronghold for President Bola Tinubu and the APC.
Reacting to the endorsement of President Tinubu by South-East political leaders in Enugu, Ikonne said the volume and calibre of political actors aligning with the APC made even a 90 per cent electoral showing inadequate.
“We have gone beyond the seventy per cent conversation,” he said.
“With the number and quality of political leaders joining the APC in the South-East, some believe that even 90 per cent will not be a good result, considering the scale of decamping and the harvest of supporters we are witnessing.”
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Ikonne explained that the APC’s mobilisation strategy for Tinubu’s re-election extends beyond voters resident in the South-East, noting that outreach efforts now cover Igbo communities across the country.
According to him, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma is leading a coordinated engagement drive aimed at rallying Igbo voters nationwide in support of Tinubu’s 2027 bid.
“What Governor Hope Uzodinma is doing goes beyond the South-East,” Ikonne said.
“A team, which I am part of, is moving across states where Igbos reside to sensitise them on the need to support the President’s re-election.”
Using Abia State as a case study, Ikonne said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had lost significant ground to the APC, strengthening the ruling party’s electoral prospects.
“PDP has almost emptied into APC in Abia State,” he said.
“That tells you that votes previously lost are returning because those who once opposed us are now part of the APC.”
Commenting on the political standing of Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Ikonne described him as isolated and politically weakened.
READ ALSO: Otti Banks On Performance, Says 2027 Election Will Be Easier
“Our governor is minus one,” he said.
“He claims to be in the Labour Party, yet he conducted local government elections using another platform. He has clearly abandoned Peter Obi.”
Ikonne argued that Otti’s refusal to follow Obi into the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was further evidence of Obi’s diminishing political capital.
“He started with Peter Obi but is not ending with him,” he said.
“Why the hesitation? Because he has seen that Abians and the South-East have shifted towards President Tinubu and the APC.”
He added that the South-East has learnt from past political miscalculations and is no longer willing to remain distant from the centre of power.
“No Southeasterner wants this region to stay outside the centre anymore,” Ikonne said. “We are traders and business people. Being aligned with the federal government supports our economic interests. We cannot afford isolation.”
Ikonne further argued that endorsements of President Tinubu by serving and former governors, ex–Senate Presidents, ministers and other political heavyweights signal a strategic return of the South-East to mainstream national politics.
“Politics is about structure and numbers,” he said.
“When leaders with followership align, the votes naturally follow. This realignment shows that the South-East wants its votes to count.”
He downplayed Obi’s chances in 2027, citing what he described as internal disorganisation within the ADC and the absence of a strong grassroots structure.
Ikonne also rejected claims that the APC lacks credibility in the region, insisting that the ruling party has become the preferred destination for defectors.
“The Igbos are not foolish. No Igbo man wants to repeat the same mistake twice.”, he said.