Former senator Ifeanyi Araraume has thrown his weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that the administration requires continuity to consolidate its economic and political reforms.

Speaking to journalists at his country home in Isiebu, Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, Araraume said the president was constitutionally entitled to seek a second term and had done enough in office to merit another four years.

He dismissed claims that Nigeria was drifting towards a one-party system, insisting that the country remained a multiparty democracy with more than 40 registered political parties. According to him, this plurality reflected political freedom rather than domination by any single party.

Araraume said political participation in the All Progressives Congress (APC) was voluntary, maintaining that no Nigerian was compelled to join the ruling party. He added that political defections and realignments were not unusual in Nigeria’s history, noting that similar trends were common during the long years of the Peoples Democratic Party in power.

On internal party affairs, the former senator said the APC operated as a single political family with coordination across federal, state and local government levels. He maintained that the party was united in its support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Araraume also disclosed that the APC had commenced an electronic membership registration exercise, calling on existing members to validate their details and urging new supporters to register.

Turning to developments in Imo State, he noted that Governor Hope Uzodimma was serving his final term and expressed confidence that the APC would field credible candidates to succeed him. He said the party would stand firmly behind whoever emerged as its flagbearer at all levels, adding that while governance was an ongoing process with room for improvement, identified challenges would be addressed constructively.

Reflecting on the 2023 presidential election, Araraume recalled his role in Tinubu’s campaign as national director of trade and economy for Southern Nigeria, covering the South East, South South and South West. He said he believed the president, if re-elected, would record stronger performance in a second term.