Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the south-east have endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, pledging to mobilise bloc votes across the region for the ruling party in the 2027 general election.
Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo, alongside Peter Mbah of
Enugu and Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, led the endorsement.
“What could be more momentous than a motion that heralds the
adoption of President Tinubu as the consensus presidential candidate for the
2027 general election, given the growth and stability our economy has witnessed
under the Renewed Hope administration, which has in turn stimulated progressive
expansion across other critical sectors,” Uzodimma said.
The endorsement was announced at the south-east APC
stakeholders’ meeting tagged ‘Izu Umunna’ in Enugu.
Party leaders, lawmakers, and elders from the zone resolved
to fully align with the ruling party at the centre.
They described the decision as a shift towards pragmatic and
interest-driven politics.
In a statement by the media office of the Enugu governor,
the leaders said they would resist the balkanisation of the region’s votes by
individual ambitions.
They warned that such actions had historically weakened the
south-east’s bargaining power at the national level.
Uzodimma, chairman of the south-east governors’ forum, said
the region could no longer afford political isolation.
He said Tinubu had placed faith in the south-east ahead of
2027.
“Politics is pay as you earn,” Uzodimma said.
“No zone can produce a president alone. If we continue to
vote provincially, we will remain on the sidelines of national power.”
Uzodimma recalled that the zone contributed about six
percent of votes to the APC in the 2023 presidential election.
He said the figure weakened the region’s influence compared
with other zones that delivered between 34 and 54 percent of votes.
The Imo governor said the APC now controls three of the five
south-east states.
He said the party’s representation in the senate has
increased from six to eight seats.
Uzodimma added that APC’s seats in the house of
representatives in the region have grown from eight to 23.
“These numbers give us hope, but they also give us a
challenge. The growth among leaders must reflect at the ballot box in 2027,” he
said.
Mbah described the endorsement as a “paradigm shift grounded
in pragmatism”.
He said the decision was driven by tangible gains accruing
to the region through alignment with the federal government.
Mbah cited the revival of the eastern railway corridor, gas
and energy projects, and the concession of the Enugu airport.
He said the interventions would position Enugu as an
international gateway to the south-east.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is beyond a political slogan,” Mbah
said.
“It is about aligning vision at the centre with delivery at
the states.”
Nwifuru expressed confidence that all south-east governors
would be APC members by 2027.
He urged party leaders to embrace reconciliation and manage
the influx of new members effectively.
A motion endorsing Tinubu for a second term was moved by
Pius Anyim, former senate president.
The motion was seconded by Ken Nnamani, another former
senate president.
“If you cry in the rain, nobody notices you. If you want to
avoid the rain, you must stand under a shelter,” Nnamani said.
At the end of the meeting, a communiqué signed by governors
and stakeholders declared Tinubu the APC’s sole presidential candidate for
2027.
The communiqué rejected what it described as ego-driven and
divisive politics.
Leaders pledged to deploy human, material and political
resources to deliver bloc votes for Tinubu across the five south-east states.
Other attendees included Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of
the house of representatives, former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Ikedi
Ohakim, senators, lawmakers and party elders from the zone.
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