Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other key stakeholders of the party in the South-East have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office in 2027.
The endorsement was made on Saturday in Enugu during a high-level meeting of APC leaders from the zone, where the stakeholders also pledged to mobilise massively for the President’s re-election.
They cited President Tinubu’s pragmatic, inclusive politics—anchored on bridge-building, partnerships and alignment with the Federal Government—as the basis for their decision.
The stakeholders further resolved to promote collective regional interests over individual ambitions, warning that ego-driven politics had historically dissipated the Igbo vote and weakened the South-East’s bargaining power at the national level.
The meeting, tagged “Izu Umunna,” brought together APC governors, party leaders, lawmakers, elders and critical stakeholders from across the five South-East states. Participants reviewed the region’s political trajectory and resolved to align fully with the ruling party at the centre.
Speaking at the meeting, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who also chairs the South-East Governors’ Forum, said President Tinubu had entrusted the political future of his re-election to the region, describing it as both an honour and a responsibility.
Uzodimma noted that the South-East could no longer afford political isolation, recalling that the region’s meagre contribution to the APC’s victory in the 2023 presidential election significantly weakened its bargaining power.
According to him, while other zones contributed between 34 and 54 per cent of votes to the APC in 2023, the South-East recorded about six per cent—an outcome he described as politically unsustainable.
He, however, said the political tide in the region had begun to change, pointing to the growing strength of the APC in the South-East. Uzodimma noted that the party now controls three of the five states in the zone, while its Senate representation had increased from six to eight senators. He added that APC members in the House of Representatives from the region had risen from eight to 23.
“These numbers give us hope, but they also give us a challenge,” Uzodimma said.
“The growth we see among leaders must reflect at the ballot box in 2027. Politics is pay-as-you-earn. No zone can produce a president alone, and if we continue to vote provincially, we will remain on the sidelines of national power,” he added.
In his address, Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, described the endorsement of President Tinubu and the increasing alignment of the South-East with the APC as a “paradigm shift grounded in pragmatism.”
He said the region had moved from standing at the crossroads of history to actively shaping its future.
Mbah explained that the decision to support Tinubu’s re-election was rooted in facts, vision and the tangible benefits already accruing to the region from alignment with the centre. He cited federal interventions such as the revival of the Eastern Railway Corridor, ongoing gas and energy development initiatives, and the approval of the concession of the Enugu Airport, which he said would position the state 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. These are not symbolic gestures, but strategic decisions that demonstrate a federal leadership committed to inclusive governance.”
Also speaking, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State expressed confidence that by 2027 all South-East governors would be members of the APC.
He urged party leaders to embrace reconciliation and sacrifice, stressing that the influx of new members required effective internal management rather than internal conflict.
“I want to urge our leaders to forgive one another and make sacrifices so that those joining us now will have a place in our party,” Nwifuru said.
The motion endorsing President Tinubu for a second term was formally moved by former Senate President, Senator Pius Anyim, and seconded by another former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, who described the decision as courageous and strategic.
Nnamani warned that complaints of marginalisation would persist if the South-East failed to engage in pragmatic politics, likening the situation to crying in the rain.
“If you cry in the rain, nobody will notice you. If you want to avoid the rain, you must enter the shade,” he said.
The meeting ended with the presentation of a communique jointly signed by the governors, party leaders and stakeholders, unanimously declaring their support for President Tinubu as the APC’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The communique rejected what it described as ego-driven and divisive politics, calling for unity of purpose among political leaders and the wider Igbo population.
“The people of the South-East Zone categorically dissociate themselves from all activities motivated by the self-serving interests of any individual, however highly placed,” the communique stated.
“We affirm that the progress of our zone and our great party cannot be achieved through narrow personal ambitions or actions that fracture collective unity.
“Any such conduct shall henceforth be regarded as contrary to our shared aspirations and will receive neither endorsement nor support from our zone.”
It added that the political leadership of the South-East had resolved, in the supreme interest of Ndi Igbo, to reject actions driven by personal ego and instead align with the ruling party to better negotiate for the region’s interests.
The stakeholders urged Ndigbo at home and in the diaspora to embrace the APC as the most viable platform for advancing the political and economic interests of the South-East, warning that scattering votes across multiple parties had historically weakened the region’s influence.
They further pledged to mobilise human, material and political resources to deliver bloc votes for President Tinubu across the five South-East states in 2027, with specific coordination roles assigned to governors.
Other dignitaries at the meeting included the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu; former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Ikedi Ohakim; as well as several senators, lawmakers and party elders from the zone.
