In taking his political friendship with Tinubu a notch further, Governor Soludo invited the President to Anambra to commission several projects.
By Anayo Okoli
AHEAD of the 2027 general elec-tions, the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South-East zone said they are working relentlessly to ensure that President Bola Tinubu wins the overwhelming majority of the votes in the zone.
They expressed disappointment over the performance of the party in the South-East in the 2023 presidential election.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District on the platform of the APC, first raised the lamentation and the need to shore up votes for Tinubu in 2027.
Speaking at the party’s stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, Kalu told the party leaders that President Tinubu was not happy with the poor outing of the party at the last presidential election in the zone and charged them to brace up and work hard to ensure that the party wins the 2027 presidential election in the zone.
Perhaps, on the strength of this, the South-East APC recently convened a consultative meeting of select leaders of the party in Enugu, which was attended by notable party leaders in the zone.
They tasked themselves with changing gear and working for the party to have a better fortune in the zone.
They also called on the people of the South-East to join the APC “to protect the interest of the Easterners.” To achieve this, they said that they must work together if the APC is to dominate the South-East region.
At the meeting were Governors Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi) and Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Uche Nnaji; the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Chief Emma Enukwu.
Others at the meeting were former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim; Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mrs Nkiruka Onyejeocha; former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly/Board member of the South- East Development Commission, Mr Stanley Ohajuruka; Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Mr Chike Olemgbe; the Anambra State APC governorship candidate, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu; all APC State Chairmen from the South-East, some National Assembly members and other national officers of the party from the region, among others.
“The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East has decided to work together and ensure that the Party dominates political activities in the zone.
“The resolution was brought to light in Enugu on Saturday, April 3, 2025, after the consultative meeting of the South-East select leaders of the APC”, the party said after the meeting.
In his speech, Governor Hope Uzodimma, who is the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and also Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, said: “We want to encourage our brothers and sisters, even those in political offices that are not members of APC to see reason for the interest of Ndigbo and South-East as a zone to join APC that is the ruling political party.
“It is by joining the ruling party that the South-East zone will be very close to the corridors of power and the Federal Government,” noting that the party’s leadership in the South-East has decided “to be part of the national politics, and to end the marginalisation of the zone at the sharing of the gains and affairs of the national government.”
Can APC alter history?
However, observers of political events have expressed reservations over the possibility of the APC altering history and winning the zone.
APC is not known to have a strong base in the region.
The party had not done well in the previous presidential elections, even though it controls two of the five states in the zone, Ebonyi and Imo states.
Perhaps 2027 will change the situation.
Can Uzodimma deliver Imo in 2027?
In Imo State, Governor Uzodimma is not leaving anything to chance in his bid to ensure that APC wins the 2027 presidential election in the state.
While the election is still two years away, he has since begun campaigning for the re-election of President Tinubu.
For Uzodimma, he minces no words about it. He is pursuing it aggressively, and the signs are visible.
Already, the busy Wetheral Road in Owerri, the state capital, is dotted with banners bearing President Tinubu’s image, with the inscriptions like ‘Your Voice Matters; Join the PBAT Door to Door Movement’.
The Imo governor had also, at different fora, told whoever cared to listen that President Tinubu would be re-elected in 2027.
In a recent interview, the governor dismissed the chances of any coalition unseating Tinubu in 2027, saying that “no one changes a winning team”.
He said that Nigeria is fortunate to have at the helm of affairs “a leader who is a visionary; forthright, knowledgeable, courageous, focused and a reformist.”
But the reality is how much fight can the APC put up to secure the votes of the electorate in Imo State in 2027? Since the formation of APC ahead of the 2015 elections, the party has not won the presidential election in Imo State.
In 2015, Imo voted overwhelmingly for former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP, while in 2019, the electorate gave their bulk votes to former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, also of the PDP.
During the 2023 polls, Imolites voted massively for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
While Uzodimma would want to prove a point with Tinubu’s victory in the state in 2027, the APC in the state suffered depletion recently with some of its leaders and members of the State Working Committee resigning from the party.
They defected to a burgeoning campaign structure of a governorship hopeful who is yet to pitch his tent with any political party.
Mr Ori Martins, who is the Chief Press Secretary to the former governor of Imo State, Mr Emeka Ihedioha, said Imo people have a history of voting for those they think will serve their interests.
Martins said: “Everywhere in the world, political parties have their traditional states. Right from Nigeria’s independence, Imo has always toed the path of those who will serve their interest. In the first republic, it was NCNC, which was Zik; in the second republic, it was NPP, which was also Zik.
“From 1999 to date, Imo has continued to vote for who it thinks will serve its interests. In the last election, they voted for the Labour Party. On paper, though APC is the ruling party in the state, it will be practically impossible for the party to win Imo State in the 2027 presidential election, not because of hatred but because of concerns.”
But the party is arguing that under President Tinubu, it has done a lot for the South-East region to show inclusiveness, including the establishment of the South-East Development Commission, SEDC, appointments and rehabilitation of our roads.
It remains to be seen if these will sway the votes for the party in 2027.
Former Chairman of Action Alliance in Imo State, Mr Ifeanyi Okponwa-Eze, dismissed the chances of APC winning Imo State in 2027.
He maintains that the party has never won the presidential election in the state, adding that there are no indications that 2027 will alter the history.
Okponwa-Eze said: “APC has never won the presidential election in Imo, and there are no indications that 2027 will alter that history. Imo, people are rational and I do not think anyone will be voting for more years of economic hardship, which is what the APC has brought to Nigerians.
“Are you talking about voting for N2,000 for a litre of fuel? Are you talking about voting for unbearable inflation? Imo people are wise. APC cannot win the presidential election in Imo State in 2027.”
Will Soludo’s adoption translate to Tinubu’s victory?
In Anambra State, Governor Charles Soludo, during Tinubu’s recent visit to the state, announced that the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has adopted him (Tinubu) for the 2027 presidential election.
This declaration does not in any way translate to automatic victory for Tinubu and the APC. There is no guarantee that APC will win Anambra on the strength of Soludo’s announcement. The Anambra electorate is sophisticated and republican as they vote according to their conscience, not coercion of any type.
They don’t engage in herd-voting. For sure, if Peter Obi is on the ballot in 2027, irrespective of the party he flies its flag, he will surely win Anambra State.
Soludo has no such influence to direct the way the votes of Anambra people will go during a presidential election.
But if Tinubu can embark on major projects in the state that can win the sympathy of the Anambra people, he may likely secure 25% of the votes. But APC has no roots in Anambra State.
A divided house in Enugu
In Enugu State, despite the membership of notable politicians in the party, there is no peace among them.
They work at cross purposes and there is no sign in sight of any genuine reconciliation to usher in peace in the party in the state.
The leader of the party in the state, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Uche Nnaji, is not working cordially with major notable members of the party in the state.
They have their factions
Perhaps the only way Tinubu may win Enugu State or secure the needed 25% is if the PDP, which is the ruling party, does not have a candidate and Peter Obi does not contest.
In that case, Governor Peter Mbah, who maintains a healthy relationship with President Tinubu, can mobilise Enugu residents to vote for him.
Factionalized Abia APC
In Abia, the APC has strengthened its members and influence due to the number of notable politicians, mainly from the PDP, that have joined them in the last year.
It also has three federal lawmakers- a senator and two House of Representatives members, a state lawmaker and the Minister of Labour, Nkiruka Onyejiocha, in Tinubu’s cabinet.
Perhaps its greatest asset is the Deputy Speaker, Mr Benjamin Kalu, who wields some reasonable influence in the Tinubu/APC administration.
This has enabled him to secure some political appointments for many people in Abia State to boost the strength of the party.
Yes, APC may have enriched its membership with some notable politicians which include the likes of the immediate past Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Mr Chinedu Orji; former Chairman of PDP in the state, Senator Emma Nwaka; former PDP presidential aspirant, Dr Cosmos Ndukwe; oil magnate, Chief Odinaka Igwe; former Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, among many others.
The question, however, remains whether they will work together.
The party has a history of division in every circle, working at cross purposes, and some members openly working against the party’s interests.
Political watchers in the state will see if 2027 will present a different scenario.
Curiously, since the coming of Tinubu, not much is being heard of the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 elections and his supporters, Chief Ikechi Emenike, who has a very strong grassroots structure he has maintained over the years.
It is not clear if he is working in tandem with the present APC gladiators in the state.
For the party to make progress in the state, there must be genuine reconciliation to usher in unity otherwise, the usual Abia APC in-fighting during elections is bound to rear its ugly head, especially with some powerful new members. So the fear remains the ability of the party to manage the gain it has made ahead of 2027.
In fact, with their new strength, APC members are openly boasting that Kalu will be the next governor of the state.
They have vowed to remove Governor Alex Otti despite the revolutionary developments going on in the state under him. It remains to be seen how they will do this if the Labour Party gets its acts together or Otti flies another party’s ticket.
In a free and fair election, devoid of the federal might they are touting, APC may not ber able to displace Governor Otti, who incidentally, has a good working relationship with President Tinubu.
Again, there is a general belief in Abia that most of the decampees to the APC are spent-forces who don’t have much political value any more but are just looking for protection and survival. Some of them are being accused by the masses of being behind the underdevelopment of the state for a long time. They doubt if they can sway voters’ choice in 2027.
Although the party has continued to deny the existence of any faction in its fold, political watchers believe they are too obvious to be denied.
Despite being under one leader, Abia APC is said to have about four different factions: the Ikechi Emenike group; Orji Uzor Kalu/Nkeiruka Onyejeocha/Donatus Nwankpa camp; the Ben Kalu group; and the Uche Ogah camp.
These various camps with diverse interests have been scheming on how to outsmart each other.
But Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, one of the new strong decampees, insisted that “there are no more factions in Abia APC.”
He said all the factions had resolved to work together as a family and deliver the state to Tinubu in 2027.
“There are no more factions in the Abia APC. A unification meeting was called on Sunday, May 4, and everybody resolved to work together”, he boasted.
On why Abia should vote for Tinubu in 2027, Ogbonnaya, a former ally of Atiku Abubakar, said: “Tinubu is the best President who remembered Ndigbo. He gave us the South East Development Commission, SEDC. The commission can be likened to the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation set up by the Premier of the Old Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Okpara, which grew the region’s economy. Anybody who understands the import of SEDC will stand and clap for Tinubu.”
He advised the South East against falling for the North’s political landmine, arguing that the North suddenly began to campaign against Tinubu after failing to manipulate him.
However, Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state, Mr Sunday Onukwubiri, disagrees with Ogbonnaya, saying it will take a miracle for APC to win in Abia.
Onukwubiri said: “What is the strength of the APC in Abia? Abia can’t be for Tinubu. APC has a lot of factions. Their chieftains are not united. When Senator Orji Uzor Kalu held a meeting in Abuja, how many of the stakeholders were there? So, who will deliver the state to them? Have they even agreed among themselves?”
Also, the Abia State Chairman of the Young Peoples Party, YPP, who doubles as the state’s chairman of Inter Party Advisory Committee, IPAC, Mr Chimex Uluocha, believes that APC is too factionalized to stand as a force and dismissed APC’s boasts as a wishful thinking and empty boasts that lack substance.
“It is when they survive their congress next year that we will know if they are serious. There is nothing that has destabilised the APC in the past like its congress. APC has been the only party with the highest number of lawsuits emanating from congresses.”
An APC source who pleaded not to be named said the party is still factionalised in Abia.
“Anybody telling you that the party is not divided is telling lies from the pit of hell. We have at least four camps in Abia APC. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, and Donatus Nwankpa have their camp; Deputy Speaker, Ben Kalu has his solo camp, Ikechi Emenike has his group, and Uche Ogah has his neutral camp because he is not contesting for anything now.
