South-East political leaders rally support for Tinubu ahead of 2027 election

Political leaders from Nigeria’s South-East are publicly urging voters in the region to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Premium Times reported that governors Peter Mbah, Charles Soludo, Francis Nwifuru and Hope Uzodimma made the appeal at an APC women’s rally and empowerment programme in Enugu. Works Minister David Umahi made a similar case at an APC Presidential Campaign Council town hall meeting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, according to Channels Television.

Umahi said the South-East had aspirants for the presidency but no candidate capable of commanding a regional consensus. He urged the region to back Tinubu’s re-election instead. The leaders linked their position to development and political strategy.

Mbah said Tinubu’s economic reforms had made more funds available to states, pointing to projects in Enugu including Smart Green Schools and Type 2 primary healthcare centres. Uzodimma cited roads, electricity, health and education reforms, as well as the payment of salaries and pensions in Imo. Umahi argued that supporting Tinubu would help the South-East build alliances with other regions before seeking the presidency.

He said an Igbo president would need more than a single four-year term and that the region should pursue strategic partnerships rather than rely on sentiment or social-media rhetoric. The minister also said the South-East was more integrated into the federal government under Tinubu. He cited the appointment of people from the region to senior positions, including the Chief of Air Staff, himself as Works Minister, other ministers and senior special assistants.

The supplied report does not list all of those appointments or independently assess the claim. Nwifuru described re-electing Tinubu as the South-East’s main mission for 2027 and said the APC had the clearest manifesto for sustaining development. He rejected suggestions that he was involved in a political coalition and called for support for APC candidates at every level.

Kalu, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, said the Igbo had not produced a Nigerian president in the previous 60 years. He said the region should strengthen political alliances and said it was not committed to a one-term arrangement for a president of Igbo extraction. The Enugu event also included an empowerment programme aimed at 5,000 women.

Mbah said the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, had previously supported more than 2,000 women in Enugu, including through payment of hospital bills. Umahi separately urged traditional and religious leaders, including CAN, not to remain neutral. The reports capture a coordinated pro-Tinubu message from several South-East figures, but they do not establish how voters across the region intend to vote.

Umahi also challenged Ebonyi to deliver 1.3 million votes for Tinubu and Nwifuru from 1.8 million registered voters, a political target rather than a reported result.