Three governors from Nigeria’s South-East urged voters to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, making a case for continuity in a region where Labour won nearly nine of every 10 presidential votes in 2023.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Enugu Gov. Peter Mbah, Imo Gov. Hope Uzodimma and Ebonyi Gov. Francis Nwifuru spoke at the Oct. 31 APC Women Mega Rally and Empowerment Programme at Okpara Square in Enugu. Anambra Gov. Charles Soludo was represented by a deputy.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recorded 1,960,589 Labour Party votes in the South-East in 2023, equal to 89.62% of the region’s presidential vote. The All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu’s party, received 127,605 votes, or 5.83%.
Mbah attributed ongoing development work, including primary health care centers, to the federal government’s economic reforms. He urged voters to stay with Tinubu, saying a “good sailor does not abandon his ship mid-sea because of challenges.”
Uzodimma said the reforms had increased funds available to state governments and helped Imo pay salaries and pensions regularly, including 13th-month salaries. He also argued that political inclusion for the Igbo people was improving under Tinubu.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu cited the South-East Development Commission as part of the case for regional development. Tinubu signed the law establishing the commission on July 24, 2024. The State House said its purpose is to support infrastructure rehabilitation and address environmental and development challenges in the zone.
The rally also featured a women’s empowerment program. Mbah said it was intended to reach 5,000 women across the South-East. Voice of Nigeria, however, described First Lady Oluremi Tinubu as flagging off aid distribution to 5,000 women in Enugu State. Mbah separately said more than 2,000 women in Enugu had received cash assistance, hospital bill support or business tools in the preceding 48 hours.
EconoTimes previously covered Makinde’s Oct. 29 South-East outreach, where Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde urged voters at an Enugu town hall to reject ethnic and religious divisions.
INEC lists Jan. 16, 2027, as the date of the presidential election.
