2027: Eric Opah Emerges APC Abia Governorship Candidate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has elected international businessman, Mr. Eric Opah, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 general election in Abia State, following primaries conducted on Thursday.

Opah emerged victorious after polling 125,977 votes to defeat former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Henry Ikoh, who scored 5,905 votes in the keenly contested exercise.

Three aspirants — Mascot Uzor Kalu, Henry Ikoh and Eric Opah — were initially cleared to contest the governorship primary. However, Mascot Uzor Kalu withdrew from the race on Wednesday, leaving Ikoh and Opah in the final contest for the party’s ticket.

The Chairman of the Abia State Governorship and State House of Assembly Primary Election Committee and Returning Officer, Bartho Nyelong, declared Opah winner after the collation of results.

The party also announced candidates for the National Assembly and Abia State House of Assembly elections following the conclusion of its primaries across the state.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Abia APC Publicity Secretary, Comrade Uche Aguoru, described the primaries as “peaceful, transparent and credible.”

He said the party was confident that its candidates would deliver effective representation and advance its “Renewed Hope Agenda.”

“We are confident in their capacity to provide effective and people-oriented representation at the National Assembly while advancing the ideals of the APC and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration,” he said.

Aguoru also commended aspirants, delegates, party officials and stakeholders for ensuring a smooth primary election process across the state, adding that certificates of return had been presented to successful candidates.

The party’s House of Representatives and State House of Assembly candidates were also unveiled after primaries conducted earlier in the month, completing the APC’s lineup for the 2027 general elections in Abia State.