…with govs’ alignment•But will projects in region sway voters?

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

THEY are in three different parties for now but within their inner recesses, something is working together. Three of the South-East governors are working hard to return to office in 2027 and one will strive to implant a successor he can always turn up to after leaving office next year.

On top of these political designs is a much higher desire: the re-election of their principal-President BolaTinubu, who is not the only candidate preferred by Southeasterners. Peter Obi, a son of the soil, sits there and has a higher stake than Tinubu in the South-East.
But something that has the higher capacity to change the scroll of political history is happening in the zone.
Most of the governors there are rallying behind Tinubu in an unprecedented manner and such proximity can trigger more votes for the president for the first time in Nigeria’s political history.
Besides that, Tinubu has been working quietly with the governors over time and changing things All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders said can be seen, felt and touched by the Southeast citizens and they seem to be convinced better days are coming their way.
That is the area of the country where David Umahi, the Minister of Works, who does not hide his admiration of Tinubu, comes from.
At a major federal government bridge undergoing construction in Ebonyi, last week, Umahi spoke authoritatively as a man who understands what is going to happen.

‘Best option for South-East’
The minister, who was leading members of the Presidential Media Team and Renewed Hope Ambassadors across federal projects in the South-East, was emphatic that Tinubu represents the best option for the South-East and Nigeria and that the citizens would do themselves the best by voting massively for him in the January 16, 2027 election.
Umahi is of a moderate height but commands high political and financial stature but he knows the people of his domain and can be relied upon by many of his contemporaries.
That is why his words don’t just go away like those of any other person. When he speaks, the people listen with serious attention and many of the things he says are now coming into fruition in the South-East, which is claimed to have been largely ignored for several decades by successive administrations in Nigeria, until Tinubu mounted the saddle in 2023. Both Umahi and the governors are working tirelessly to imprint Tinubu in the hearts of their voters so that they can deliver him victory when the next poll is held early next year.
Umahi, who is one of the highest South-East personalities in the Tinubu administration, has some words of advice for the people of the region and Nigeria as Nigerians head to the 2027 presidential polls.
The minister was clear about where the people are heading in 2027: “The people of the South-East region will gladly reject their own son, Peter Obi, and vote for President Tinubu in next year’s election,” Umahi said.

Mistake
Umahi said it was a mistake for the people of the region to vote for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election and that they had since realised that Tinubu is the best option available for them in the next election. Whether that declaration is true and can be relied upon by the people will be seen when the votes are tallied next year.
According to Umahi, Tinubu has given special attention to the development of roads and other projects in the region as demonstrated by the fact that several road projects for the South-East region, originally conceived during the colonial era but left unrealised for decades, are now being brought to life under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Umah highlighted the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as a project of strategic importance to the South-East, South-South, and parts of the North-Central region.
“It is a colonial-era dream long forgotten, but President Tinubu has revived it, and construction is now underway. We must thank him immensely,” an excited Umahi said.
“The Trans Sahara Superhighway is not just a road; it is an investment corridor that will catalyse trade in agricultural produce like cassava, yams, cashews, and palm oil from Cross River, Benue and Ebonyi, while also connecting Nigeria to Cameroon,” Umahi explained.
Umahi expressed the gratitude of the South East to the President for ending decades of exclusion, stating, “All our forefathers sought inclusiveness, we have it now.”
The minister reported steady progress on the project, noting that Section One, initially 118 kilometres, has been extended to 123.6 kilometres, with a contract sum of ?45 billion, and that dualisation works are ongoing.
According to Umahi, Section Two, which runs from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa, has also been awarded at a cost of ?668 billion, adding that the project had had reached about 28% completion in some areas, with work continuing even during the rainy season, due to President Tinubu’s adoption of concrete road technology.
Umahi’s historic speech seemed to have lifted the spirits of Tinubu’s media high priests-Chiefs Bayo Onanuga, Sunday Dare, Tunde Rahman and Mr. Tope Ajayi. Other presidential aides on tour of the South-East-Mr. Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media; Segun Dada, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media; Linda Akhigbe and Fred Nwabufo, Senior Special Assistants to the President on Strategic Communications; Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai and Barrister Chioma Nweze, Senior Special Assistants to the President on Community Engagement; and Dare Olude, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation-were really excited to hear from one of the most senior Tinubu’s executives from the Southeastern part of Nigeria, speak on their principal.
After Umahi had given his speech, the Special Assistant to Mr. President on Community Engagement, Chiola Nweze, who is also from the region, took her turn to eulogise his principal, arguing that Tinubu has made life simpler for the people of the South-East and should be accorded the needed support come next poll.
Nweze quipped: “We thank Mr. President because this is the first time South-East has been included in the scheme of things. From Enugu to Onitsha, the road project is ongoing, from Onitsha to Owerri, it’s ongoing; Enugu to Abakaliki is ongoing. At Obinagu, we used to stay there for five hours, but Mr. President has done a big flyover for us, Ndibe beach is also ongoing and will link us to Cross River.
“That linkage, we have been looking for it for over 100 years in this state. We are thanking Mr. President because he has been intentional about Southeast, telling us that we are part of Nigeria. We are telling our people to stand up for this election and be counted as the South East because we need to vote for Mr. President en masse; we will not vote for promises that we have not yet seen. We are going to vote for promises that have been kept.
“So, the President is intentional about constructing roads that will outlive all of us so that we can focus on other things in this country. Let me say that I was born and know what the budget was, we have been having Enugu Onitsha, Enugu Port Harcourt always in the budget. But this is actually the first time it is being done. You can travel from Enugu to Port Harcourt; you want to see a single pothole. So, we are thanking the President and the Minister for fulfilling the dream of Renewed Hope and we are thanking the presidential media team”.
But that is just one aspect of what has happened lately. The governors have also united with Tinubu and taken the task of building together to ease the flow of projects and smoothen their collaboration. No fewer than 28 of such projects were shown to members of the RHA and the PMT when they were in Abakaliki to see for themselves what the Tinubu regime has done there.

Mbah, Nwifuru, Otti’s input
Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. Francis Nwafiru, is working on many projects, including two universities of Aeronautics and ICT. Other projects, which he claims to have received support from the Federal Government include roads, bridges and housing schemes, which have really opened up the state and given renewed hope to the people.

Projects
When the RHA and PMT arrived in Enugu, the governor, Dr. Peter Mbah showcased many people-oriented projects that the president has aided the state to execute with increased funding and that he was full of happiness and appreciation for the president and his team.

Mbah’s commissioners were on standby to take the team to their various projects spanning smart schools, Akanu Ibiam International Airport, which is being concessioned by the Federal Government, the Flyover Interchange Bridge at Abakpa Junction in Enugu, the reconstruction of the 38.6-kilometre Enugu–Onitsha–Port Harcourt concrete pavement road, and the dualisation of the 21.5-kilometre Enugu International Airport Road extending to the Ebonyi State border.
The team also inspected the ongoing dualisation of a 40-kilometre Owo–Ubahu–Amankanu–Umualo–Ekem road, the Enugu State Tractors Assembling Plant, the 300-bed Enugu State International Specialist Hospital, where they saw state-of-the-art medical facilities, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, cancer treatment equipment, mammography machines, modern surgical theatres and other advanced healthcare infrastructure as well as the Enugu State Smart City project, designed to transform the state into a modern economic and technological hub.
In Abia State, the PMT was taken round key projects being completed and being undertaken by the Governor Alex Otti administration to transform lives in the state.
These included the Ohafia–Umuahia Federal Road, a major transportation route linking communities and commercial centres, the 67.6-kilometre Umuahia–Uzuakoli–Akara–Ohafia Road, a state-financed project expected to improve connectivity, facilitate the movement of agricultural produce, reduce travel time and stimulate economic activities in rural communities and the Omenuko Bridge along the Ohafia–Umuahia corridor and the proposed Renewed Hope Housing Estate in Umuahia, a 1,200-unit housing development under the Federal Government’s housing programme.
The inspection tour forms part of the Federal Government’s commitment to showcasing projects being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and assessing how increased federal allocations to sub-national governments are being deployed to improve the lives of citizens.
An excited Governor Mbah told visitors that he was impressed with the policies adopted by the Tinubu administration to move Nigeria forward and for giving special attention to the South-East.
At the centre of Mbah’s argument is the impact of federal reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market. These policies have been described by analysts as “bold.”
Mbah said, “It would have been impossible, to say the least, for us to have done things at this scale indeed, without some of the bold and courageous policies of Mr. President.
“What the policies of Mr President did for sub-nationals is largely to free up resources. What we’re seeing today at a scale is only possible because we now have more funds coming from the federation.”
According to the governor, increased federal allocations have allowed the state to simultaneously pursue capital-intensive projects in multiple sectors, from infrastructure to human capital development. He argued that the reforms have strengthened the ability of states to function as drivers of economic growth under Nigeria’s federal structure.
With these projects being undertaken by the Southeast states with the active support of the Tinubu administration, it is left to be seen how much support and attention they will give to the re-election process of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in January 2027.
But it can be argued that Tinubu has done his best and left the stage open for the governors to deliver on their promise to assist him to return to the stage he assailed in 2023. But will it happen from the Eastern part of the country?

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has asked President Bola Bola Tinubu to learn from former presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, saying they never deregistered opposition political parties.

Atiku made the call on Saturday in reaction to an attempt to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, through the courts.

The former Vice President said attempts to restrict political competition run contrary to democratic principles and could erode public confidence in the electoral process.

“Former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari never deregistered opposition political parties. Copy and learn from them.

“If you’re truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn’t be afraid of a free and fair competition,” Atiku said.

A member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Taofeek Mustapha, was shot on Saturday by suspected political thugs in Osogbo.

This is as the state governorship election scheduled to take place in August draws closer.

The State Police Command confirmed the incident which happened in the Oluode-Aranyin area of the state.

The attack is said to have heightened concerns as rival political camps clash across the state.

The victim, who survived the shooting pointed out that he was targeted by the thugs because he was wearing a political cap associated with the APC candidate.

“I put on the AMBO crested cap when the shooting occurred. Everyone ran to safety and they pursued me because I was wearing the APC candidate cap. I did not wait but was shot. I cried for help before they retrieved back into the vehicle and drove away,” he said.

The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that an official investigation has already commenced to unravel those behind the attack.

Recall that the police, alongside other security agencies and electoral stakeholders, convened a peace meeting to encourage political parties to commit to a peaceful campaign and election.

However, the ruling Accord Party and the APC did not show up for the meeting.