The member representing Aba North/South Federal Constituency in Abia State, Alex Ikwechegh, has congratulated Uzor Azubuike for winning the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket ahead of the 2027 federal constituency election.
Mr Ikwechegh, a member of the Labour Party (LP), is seeking reelection for a second term. As the LP candidate for the forthcoming election in the federal constituency, he has the APC candidate, Mr Azubuike, as his potential challenger.
The federal lawmaker disclosed in a Facebook post on Monday, 18 May, that he called Mr Azubuike by phone to convey his congratulatory message “shortly after the conclusion of the party’s primary election.”
He did not, however, state the exact day and time he made the phone call.
“That’s the spirit, my leader,” a commenter, Chidi Okonkwo, said of Mr Ikwechegh’s post, offering an apparent thumbs-up to the spirit of sportsmanship shown by the lawmaker.
Mr Ikwechegh, 45, was elected a federal lawmaker in 2023 under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance but he defected to the LP in March 2026.
He previously served as the deputy chairman and later the chairman of the Aba North Local Government Area.
Governor Alex Otti’s strong governance makes the LP popular in Abia, but Mr Ikwechegh still faces a brutal electoral battle. The APC machinery, backed by its federal dominance, stands in his way. Powerful Abia APC figures like Orji Kalu and Benjamin Kalu are ready to deploy their full financial and political weight to capture the constituency.
Mr Kalu, a former governor of Abia, is a serving senator, while Benjamin is the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. Both politicians have won the APC tickets as they seek re-election in 2027.
“When you see a leader performing, you don’t fight him. You join him,” Mr Ikwechegh is quoted to have said while endorsing Governor Otti’s leadership.