The Senate Minority Leader  Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe appears headed for collision with his party as on Sunday he thumbed his nose at the zoning of the governorship ticket to Abia Central and Abia North Senatorial districts by the Abia state PDP describing it as a plot devised to exclude him

"It is obvious that the statement was merely formulated to exclude me from the contest', the 4-term Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District fumed.

Dailyledger.com.ng reports that debate over Governor Okezie Ikpeazu's successor has considerably heated up Abia politics as there are divergent views on which part of the State should produce the next governor.

Nonetheless, Abaribe's aspiration appears to be a dead on arrival project as he comes from the same Obingwa LGA as Gov Ikpeazu.

Abaribe however appears set on his course as he has since purchased the Nomination and Expression of Interest forms even before the Abia PDP Saturday announced the zoning of the governorship ticket which as expected excluded Abaribe's senatorial district.

In his reaction  Abaribe maintained that by virtue of section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, no person or body can exclude him from contesting the governorship election.

Full Text of the Press Release by Sen Enyinnaya Abaribe reacting to the zoning of the governorship ticket by Abia PDP:

My attention has been drawn to a document signed by the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Alwell Asiforo purporting the Abia State PDP has zoned the Governorship seat to Abia North and Abia Central and wish to assure all Abians who are desirous of an end to IMPOSITION in Abia State to disregard the purported zoning for the following reasons:

 While any member of PDP has the right to support anybody for any elective position in Nigeria, it cannot be to the exclusion of any other member.

It is obvious that the statement was merely formulated to exclude me from the contest.

By virtue of section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, no person or body can exclude Senator ENYINNAYA ABARIBE (Nma Agha Ndigbo) from contesting and winning the 2023 elections in Abia State.

All PDP members and Abia citizens are therefore urged to remain calm and participate in the forthcoming congresses and primaries where your voice will be heard as we dismantle the CABAL that want to keep Abians subjected to further years of IMPOSITION.

It is only Abians that will decide who will be their Governor in 2023

signed
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe