Members of Abia South Senatorial District under the aegis of Asiwaju Tsunami group have declared that the All Progressives Congress, APC, will defeat Labour Party senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, in the 2027 election.

The group which addressed the press in Aba on Tuesday, said that APC will record a resounding victory in Abia South and other parts of the state through the leader of Asiwaju Tsunami, Paul Ikonne .

The group which spoke through Chinwe Nwangaga on Tuesday, said the APC will take over the Abia South Senate seat from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe through Ikonne.

The group argued that the Obingwa section of the Abia South political bloc which produced Abaribe, former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and other politicians, have been dominating the district for over 20 years.

It also pointed to Ikpeazu’s appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain as evidence of the long-standing domination by the Obingwa section.

“Since 2007 when I ran for deputy governor, Abaribe has been in the Senate. We want a fresh person. We want a fresh idea and we have no doubt that Ikonne will beat anybody to win the election,” Nwanganga said.

The APC group while thanking President Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, for being impartial in Abia South APC primary elections,  maintained that the national leadership of the party reserves the final decision on matters concerning APC candidates in Abia.

A cheiftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in the South-East, Mr Maxwell Igbokwe, has urged the party to swiftly resolve all outstanding primary disputes before INEC’s deadline for uploading candidates’ names.

Igbokwe made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He said resolving the disputes promptly was necessary to preserve the party’s unity, strengthen public confidence, and ensure its preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

He advised the party’s leadership against imposing candidates and delaying the release of outstanding primary election results.

NAN reports that INEC had fixed July 11 as deadline for parties to upload names of National Assembly candidates and July 17 as deadline for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.

According to Igbokwe, any action short of transparency and accountability on the outcome of the party’s primaries can undermine internal democracy and party unity ahead of the general elections.

Igbokwe said the party was founded to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative based on transparency, accountability and internal democracy, warning that any departure from those principles could damage its credibility.

He urged the party’s national leadership to adhere strictly to the NDC constitution and ensure that only names of duly elected candidates were submitted to INEC.

He further expressed concern that the results of some primary elections conducted more than two months ago had yet to be officially released.

According to him, the delay has created uncertainty among party members and could erode confidence in the party’s commitment to transparency and fairness.

“We call on the leadership of our party to uphold the NDC constitution, respect the outcome of a transparent and lawful primary process and ensure that no individual is imposed on the people,” he said.

He particularly raised concerns over the House of Representatives primary election for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alleging attempts to manipulate the nomination process.

“Our objective is not to sow division but to protect the integrity of our party and preserve the democratic ideals that inspired millions of Nigerians to believe in our vision for a better nation,” he said.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said one of its governorship aspirants in Kano State, Ibrahim Khalil, is unlikely to emerge as the party’s candidate ahead of the 2027 elections because of his alleged support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking at a press conference in Kano on Monday, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North West), Naja’atu Mohammed, said Khalil had openly shown support for President Tinubu on several occasions, raising concerns about his commitment to the ADC.

According to her, the party’s seven-member consensus committee, led by Ben Obi, would find it difficult to endorse any aspirant whose loyalty to the ADC’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is in doubt.

“He has publicly declared support for President Tinubu in the past and even now,” Mohammed said.

She added that, given the current economic and security challenges facing northern Nigeria, it would be difficult for many people in the region to support any politician believed to be aligned with the Tinubu administration.

“No fair-minded Northerner would want to politically associate with any aspirant or candidate perceived to be loyal to President Tinubu,” she said.

Mohammed argued that the North has experienced increasing hardship, hunger and insecurity in recent years, claiming the situation has left many families devastated.

She also dismissed reports suggesting that she alone was responsible for the party’s decision not to back Ibrahim Khalil for the governorship ticket.

“I am only a member of the consensus committee assigned to handle the task,” she said.

At the same event, Mohammed announced the inauguration of a new caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the ADC in Kano State.

The committee is headed by Umar Bala as caretaker chairman, with Ismail Musa Ibrahim serving as secretary. Other members include Lawal Adamu Giginyu as publicity secretary and Barrister Mohammed Lawal Adamu as the party’s legal adviser.