Senior figures of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the south-east have endorsed President Bola Tinubu as their sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, urging the region to close ranks and abandon what they described as politically weakening divisions.
The endorsement was announced on Saturday at the Izu Umunne meeting of APC stakeholders in Enugu, where party leaders assessed national political developments and debated the position of Ndigbo ahead of the next electoral cycle.
In a communiqué issued after the gathering, the leaders said the south-east could no longer afford “scattered” political choices driven by personal ambition, arguing that such fragmentation had undermined the region’s bargaining power at the federal level.
“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 communiqué said.
The document was jointly signed by the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma; the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; the Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru; the Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah; the APC’s national vice-chair for the south-east, Ijeoma Arodiogbu; and the party’s deputy national chairman (south), Emma Eneukwu.
The leaders argued that sustained alignment with the ruling party offered the region its best prospects for political relevance and development. “Arising from the foregoing, the south-east declares its unalloyed, total, and unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our sole and undisputed presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections,” the communiqué stated.
They praised Tinubu’s administration for what they called deliberate efforts to tackle long-standing infrastructure deficits in the region, as well as for appointing Igbo men and women to key national positions.
The governors and party stakeholders said the south-east would henceforth work more closely with the APC at the centre in order to secure stronger representation and a greater federal presence.
“The political leadership of the south-east has resolved, in the supreme interest of Ndigbo, that never again will we allow personal ego and motivated actions to determine the fate of the zone,” the statement said, adding that the region would join other zones in backing the ruling party so its leaders could “effectively negotiate better representation and advance the interests of our people.”
