Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, representing Ebonyi State, has explained that the Southeast’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a strategic move to build political alliances that will support an eventual Igbo presidential bid.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV from 7:45, Senator Nwebonyi outlined the political calculation behind the region’s migration to the ruling party. “We are moving into the APC as a people. We feel this is the reason why we should connect to the center for the overall interest of an average Igbo man. We must belong so that we’ll be counted,” he said.
The senator explained the reciprocity principle guiding the Southeast’s political alignment. “Because we believe that one day the people of the Southeast will ask for the presidency, and when we do that, we expect our brothers from the Southwest to support us. We expect our brothers from the South-South, North-Central, and Northeast to support us. So we must belong so that we can be counted at the right time,” Senator Nwebonyi stated.
He criticized the PDP’s treatment of the Southeast despite the region’s unwavering support during the party’s 16 years in power. “Over the years, during the beginning of the Fourth Republic, the people of the Southeast—in fact, the entire five states in the Southeast—were in PDP, who voted for PDP throughout the 16 years of PDP’s reign in power. We had nothing to show for it. The only thing we could show for it was the position of Deputy Senate President,” he said.
Senator Nwebonyi detailed what he described as deliberate neglect of the region under PDP rule. “There was no major infrastructural development in the Southeast. The Southeast was neglected. The Southeast was abandoned by the PDP-led government,” he stated.
The senator explained the political fragmentation that occurred in the Southeast during the 2023 elections. “That is why in 2023, some moved back towards PDP, some went to the Labour Party, some went to other parties, some went to APGA. But now, APC has found a rejected people and decided to remember us in the scheme of things,” he stated. See, More, Here>>>
Explore More News By Using The Button Above.