The senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Mr. Enyinnaya Abaribe, has declared his ambition to be next Governor of Abia State in 2023.
Abaribe would be running for the Abia exalted seat under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In the last two years, the news of Senator Abaribe’s interest to succeed Ikpeazu in 2023 have been flying around in the state.
This is even as his close associates and some of his loyalists have expressed their strong conviction that he would clinch, not just the PDP guber ticket but also, win the election for the party in 2023.
They had stated that Abaribe, who is the Minority Leader of Senate, would make public his intention at the appropriate time.
However, rumours from the government circles emerged Saturday morning that Abaribe made his intention to run for the governorship position known to Ikpeazu, who also comes from the same local government, at a private meeting with the governor at the Aba Government House Lodge, last Friday night.
Abaribe was said to have embarked on the visit with some Obingwa LGA political stakeholders.
It was gathered that Ikpeazu was taken aback, when Abaribe told him the reason for their visit as he was shocked with what he said and the calibre of the persons on the visit.
“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was thrown off balance when Sen. Abaribe told him of his gubernatorial ambition because he had no idea of what they wanted to seek an audience with him.
“We learnt that Sen. Abaribe just called him to tell him (Ikpeazu) that he wants to see him without telling the reason he wants to see him.
“Usually, the governor will not deny him (Abaribe) from seeing him (Ikpeazu). On this visit that was held at the Aba Governor’s House Lodge as the governor thought it was the usual Christmas homage.
“The twist is that we learnt that some of the stakeholders that came with Abaribe didn’t know his mission. They too were surprised when Abaribe made his intention known to the governor.”
While the senator or his aides have not responded to media need for further clarifications on the matter, some government sources reportedly said that a commissioner in the state, who is close to the governor, arrived at the Aba Government House Lodge shortly after Abaribe’s meeting with Ikpeazu.
Media report has it that although the governor is yet to make his intentions known, that he (Ikpeazu) is equally hoping to join other former governors of the state in the senate after his second term in office in 2023.
Abaribe, according to reports, was expected to make his governorship intention public on the 28 December.
Many analysts, who said that it is only Abaribe that can stop Ikpeazu from going to Senate in 2023, opined that one of the ways the governor could go to the senate in 2023 under the PDP is to cede the PDP guber to Abaribe.
