Some indigenes of Abia State have taken a swipe at Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe following his recent remarks alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not win the 2023 presidential election, but that the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, was the actual winner.

Reacting to Abaribe’s comments, several Abians accused the senator of hypocrisy, arguing that his own victory in the 2023 Abia South senatorial election was more questionable than the presidential election he criticized. According to them, the Labour Party candidate, Engr. Chinedu Onyeizu, was the rightful winner of the Abia South senatorial contest, but the election was allegedly manipulated in Abaribe’s favour.

The critics insisted that Senator Abaribe lacks the moral authority to question the legitimacy of President Tinubu’s election, describing him as a beneficiary of what they termed a “fraudulent electoral process.” They argued that the same logic Abaribe applies to the presidential election should also be applied to his own senatorial victory.

Among those who publicly criticized the senator is Chief Emperor Ogbonna, a prominent lawyer and vocal advocate for credible and transparent elections. Ogbonna reportedly faulted Abaribe for condemning electoral irregularities at the national level while allegedly benefiting from similar irregularities at the state level.

Barrister Emperor stated: “Hehehe
Abaribe said Tinubu never won the election.
Someone should ask Abaribe whether he himself won his own election when almost everyone in the South East was voting Labour Party due to the Obi wave on that day in all the three ballot papers given to voters irrespective of who was representing Labour Party in the Senate and House of Representatives.”

Another strong reaction came from Don Torch, an outspoken Abian, who delivered a scathing critique of the senator’s record and electoral legitimacy. In a statement that has since gained traction, he wrote:

“Dear Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, did Ndi Abia South truly vote for you?

The same way you believe Nigerians voted for Peter Obi but Tinubu was declared winner is the same way Abia South voted for Engr. Chinedu Onyeizu, yet you were declared the winner.

Sir, you have no moral justification to speak against Tinubu. From day one, he has empowered people. Can you tell us how many youths you have empowered in Abia South in the past 20 years?

Sometimes I try to mind my business and focus on surviving in this harsh economy, but I get irritated seeing someone who should be preparing young leaders for succession constantly resurfacing whenever elections are near, merely to deceive already disillusioned constituents.

I have no respect for youths who openly declare support for a man who has made no tangible impact on his constituents—whether in roads, infrastructure, education, skills acquisition, or human capital development.

Oh, I almost forgot—I am from Abia Central, where we do not tolerate non-performance. Representing people for 12 years without results is unthinkable here. Winning a second term is already difficult, let alone a third, fourth, or fifth.

Abia South truly deserves some pity.”

Adding his voice to the criticism, Chief Eric Ikwuagu, Abia State Secretary of PDP, stated:
“The Abia South Senate was actually won by Onyeizu but another was declared winner. Kettle calling pot black!!”

Speaking in unequal terms, Chief Uwaoma Nwachukwu stated:
“Abaribe’s victory in 2023 was more fraudulent than Tinubu’s.”

The reactions reflect growing dissatisfaction among some Abians over long-standing political leadership and perceived lack of development and empowerment at the grassroots. For these critics, Abaribe’s comments on national electoral integrity reopened unresolved grievances surrounding the 2023 senatorial election in Abia South.

As debates over electoral credibility continue to dominate Nigeria’s political discourse, the criticisms directed at Senator Abaribe underscore the broader demand for consistency, accountability, and measurable impact from elected officials at all levels of government.