“Don't be deceived”: South-East governors tell Ndigbo to vote Tinubu
At an APC women's rally in Enugu, the governors of Enugu, Imo and Ebonyi, and Anambra's deputy governor for Charles Soludo, urged the Igbo to back President Tinubu in 2027, in the home region of NDC candidate Peter Obi.
The rally: the APC Women Mega Rally and Empowerment Programme for the South-East at Okpara Square, Enugu, on Saturday 31 October, flagged off by First Lady Remi Tinubu. Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Hope Uzodimma (Imo) and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi) spoke; Charles Soludo (Anambra) was represented by his deputy, Gilbert Ibezim.
Mbah: “We are not a people that are ethnic bigots. We are a people that are strategic.” He urged voters to “come out on January 16 with our PVC”.
Uzodimma: “A winning team must not be changed.” Nwifuru called the APC “the only political party with a clear and identifiable manifesto”. The First Lady: “Don't allow anyone to deceive you. The worst is over.”
The other side: Peter Obi (NDC), an Igbo candidate, won every South-East state in 2023. At the rally, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu said the Igbo have not produced a president in 60 years and urged them to strengthen alliances.
A crack in Imo: the Renewed Hope Foot Soldiers for Tinubu, a pro-Tinubu group, warn that the court ruling recognising Rochas Okorocha over Governor Uzodimma as APC candidate for Imo West could cost Tinubu South-East votes: “The President needs a united party and the confidence of political allies across the country.”
What they promise: Uzodimma said there is “more money” for roads linking Okigwe, Umuahia and Orlu to Owerri and Port Harcourt. Speakers cited the South East Development Commission. Organisers say the rally's programme targets 5,000 women across the zone.
Sources
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