Governors and top All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from Nigeria’s South-South region have declared their support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid in 2027.
The endorsement came during a stakeholders’ interactive session held in Benin City, Edo State, on Saturday, June 28.
According to a statement released by Governor Monday Okpebholo’s media aide, Fred Itua, several prominent party figures applauded Tinubu’s leadership and said his Renewed Hope Agenda should be sustained beyond 2027 to further Nigeria’s progress.
Among the notable figures present were Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Minister for Regional Development Abubakar Momoh, Cross River Governor Bassey Edet Otu, who spoke on behalf of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, as well as former Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva and NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku.
Others included Edo Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, Speaker of the Edo Assembly Blessing Agbebaku, Secretary to the Edo State Government Umar Musa Ikhilor, APC National Woman Leader Mary Idele Alile, Edo APC Chairman Jarret Tenebe, and Edo South leader, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
The speakers passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu and Governor Okpebholo, praising various federal reforms like the student loan initiative and tax exemptions for low-income earners as major achievements.
Okpebholo, in his address, welcomed his colleagues, describing their gathering as historic.
“This is the first time we are seeing unity among the governors coming together in a single room to discuss the progress of this country,” he said.
READ ALSO:Â APC Governors Endorse Tinubu for 2027, Pledge Nationwide Mobilisation
He hailed Tinubu as a “capacity working president,” saying the president had made the “necessary requirements available for us to operate seamlessly.”
Highlighting ongoing road projects across Nigeria and in Edo in particular, Okpebholo said, “Things you think are difficult are made easy through his policies.”
He commended the president’s bold reforms and pledged to deliver 2.5 million votes for him in Edo in 2027.
Dismissing doubts from rival parties, he said, “How will it not happen when I am already working, constructing good roads?”
He cited the ongoing rehabilitation of roads in Uhunmwonde, some untouched for years, as a reflection of the administration’s support.
“If the president is not behind us, such development cannot happen,” Okpebholo stated. “2027 is settled in Edo State as a way to pay him back.”
Reflecting on the 2023 election challenges, he recalled, “They seized the economy of the nation. They seized petrol. They seized everything to frustrate him, yet he won the election.”
Reaffirming his loyalty, the governor concluded, “Anywhere he goes, we go.”