The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Abia Central Senatorial District, Rt. Hon. Emeka Atuma, has intensified his grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, pledging sustainable youth empowerment, improved infrastructure, and stronger representation for the people of the district.
Atuma spoke on Monday, September 14, 2026, during an interactive meeting with APC members and stakeholders from the 10 wards of Ikwuano Local Government Area, held at Umuigu Central School in Ajatanaigu Autonomous Community, Oboro.
The gathering attracted political leaders, community stakeholders, youth and women groups, representatives of various associations and party faithful from across Ikwuano’s four clans; Oboro, Ibere, Oloko and Ariam-Usaka.
At the meeting, party stakeholders expressed support for Atuma’s senatorial candidacy and pledged to mobilise for him and other APC candidates in their respective wards and polling units.
The engagement came about a week after some community leaders in Ikwuano reportedly declared support for Atuma’s bid to represent Abia Central in the Senate.
Speaking with ABN TV after the meeting, Atuma described the gathering as a “family meeting” designed to energise party members and develop messages they would take to their respective communities ahead of the elections.
“We gathered together to be energised on the upcoming campaign of the senatorial election and all other election strata, the President, House of Representatives and State Assembly,” he said.
Atuma said the APC would use its grassroots structures to make its case to the electorate and convince voters of its capacity to deliver development.
The former federal lawmaker also expressed confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prospects in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the APC’s political strength across the country would work in the President’s favour. He maintained that a second Tinubu administration would further advance the Federal Government’s economic and development programmes.
Turning to his senatorial agenda, Atuma promised what he described as a “youth-driven representation,” saying empowerment programmes must move beyond short-term interventions such as distributing tricycles, vehicles and buses.
“The youth will be empowered and positioned for growth. The empowerment we are speaking about today will not possibly be an empowerment of giving people Keke NAPEP on hire purchase or cars on hire purchase or maybe giving them buses to drive,” he said.
According to him, sustainable empowerment should equip young people with skills, create pathways into meaningful careers and incorporate them into policies and programmes that affect their future.
“The representation we are going to be having from 2027 will be sustainable. The youth will be empowered in such a manner that they can marry and form families, keep families and raise their children,” Atuma said.
He added that qualified young people should be assisted in accessing opportunities, including careers in the federal civil service, where they could develop professionally and eventually help create opportunities for others.
“Give them skills, let them go into the federal civil service, grow in the ranks and then be patient to take it over the years and arrive at a place where they have to bring others on board. That is what is called youth empowerment,” he stated.
Atuma identified education, healthcare, road infrastructure, school development and human capital development among the areas he intends to prioritise if elected.
He said his approach to representation would focus on strengthening the connection between Abia Central and the Federal Government, particularly through the federal budgeting and appropriation process.
According to him, an effective senator should not be judged solely by speeches, motions and legislative activities on the floor of the National Assembly but also by the ability to articulate constituents’ priorities and advocate for federal interventions that can stimulate economic activities.
“A representative would have to be assessed by the amount of funds injected into the constituency that he is representing, that will stimulate economic activity and, by extension, bring prosperity to such a location,” Atuma said.
He described his vision as combining “quality” with “quantitative” representation, anchored on transparency and accountability to constituents.
Atuma also pointed to his previous experience in the National Assembly, saying it would give him an advantage in navigating the legislative and appropriation processes.
“Because I’m not a rookie going to the National Assembly, I’ve done it before and I will do it better now,” he said.
The APC candidate further stressed that his mobilisation was not solely about his senatorial ambition, noting that the party was working for its candidates across different elective positions.
He called for reconciliation and cooperation among party members, including those who may have been dissatisfied with the outcome of internal contests, saying the APC needed a united front ahead of the general elections.
“We are moving with great mobilisation, creating some level of consensus and making bipartisan agreements,” Atuma said, adding that the campaign would continue to reach beyond the party’s immediate membership.
Also speaking at the gathering, the APC youth leadership urged young people to take an active role in mobilising support for the party’s candidates in the forthcoming elections.
The event, moderated by Director-General of the Emeka Atuma Senatorial Campaign Council, Mr. Chidi Nwosu, was attended by several political and community stakeholders, including the traditional ruler of Ajatanaigu Autonomous Community, HRM Eze Larry Agwu Ogbonnaya, as well as Maj. Awa, Sir Kingsley Nkume and others.
The Ikwuano engagement forms part of Atuma’s ongoing consultations and mobilisation across Abia Central as political activities gradually gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
