Get Guardian on Google….APC leaders cite federal projects, South-East inclusion, NELFUND, infrastructure investments as reasons for renewed mandate
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has set an ambitious target of between 1.2 million and 1.3 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Ebonyi State in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, banking on federal infrastructure projects, political appointments and what party leaders described as renewed attention to the South-East.
The target was announced at the APC presidential campaign rally in Ebonyi, where Governor Francis Nwifuru, Minister of Works, David Umahi, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, and Vice President Kashim Shettima rallied support for Tinubu’s re-election.
While Nwifuru expressed confidence that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda had delivered tangible benefits to Ebonyi, Umahi argued that the administration had restored the South-East’s sense of belonging through strategic appointments and major road projects.
Yari, who recalled the financial difficulties governors faced in paying salaries and pensions before the Tinubu administration, urged the people to support the President, insisting that increased federal allocations had strengthened the capacity of state governments to meet their obligations.
Nwifuru said his support for Tinubu was not based on political sentiment but on evidence of federal interventions in Ebonyi, particularly in road infrastructure, education and agriculture.
“Our support for President Tinubu is not based on sentiment. It is rooted in evidence, conviction and gratitude. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, Ebonyi State has continued to receive critical federal attention,” he said.
He described the approximately 788-kilometre Afikpo-Onueke-Ukwuachi-Abuja Expressway corridor, featuring an over 35-span flyover at Onueke in Ezza South Local Government Area, as a strategic national asset capable of unlocking economic opportunities across several communities.
According to him, the project, alongside the Obubra-Ofa Road, represents a significant federal intervention in addressing longstanding transportation challenges in the South-East.
The governor also commended Tinubu for appointing Umahi as Minister of Works, describing the decision as an important recognition of Ebonyi’s contribution to national development.
Nwifuru, however, used the occasion to appeal to the President to address the state’s electricity challenges, disclosing that Ebonyi remained the only state without a 330kV transmission line.
He requested federal assistance to construct the proposed transmission line from Ugwuaji in neighbouring Enugu State, arguing that inadequate electricity supply was undermining the state’s industrialisation drive.
The governor also highlighted his administration’s achievements since assuming office on May 29, 2023, including the construction of more than 1,000 kilometres of roads across the state’s 13 local government areas.
He said the government had also constructed two kilometres of roads in each community, while its urban renewal programme had transformed parts of the state capital.
On education, Nwifuru disclosed that 43 school buildings, comprising 22-classroom blocks equipped with libraries, laboratories and offices, had been completed across the state.
He added that the first batch of 314 beneficiaries of the state’s foreign scholarship programme had completed their master’s degrees and were pursuing doctoral programmes in universities abroad.
The governor further disclosed that his administration had established the University of ICT at Oferekpe and the University of Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering at Ezillo, with substantial infrastructure provided at both institutions.
He said work had commenced on the new Abakaliki Garment Company, while the modernisation of the state’s pipe production company and the industrial city project at Izzi-Angbo were progressing.
On healthcare, Nwifuru said his administration had invested in medical equipment, diagnostic facilities, ambulances and the recruitment of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals.
He also listed housing interventions, including the completion of about 140 duplexes at Reward Estate and housing projects for widows and internally displaced persons.
Umahi, who spoke enthusiastically about Tinubu’s infrastructure investments in the South-East, declared that Ebonyi was firmly behind the APC.
“We are showing the whole world that Ebonyi State belongs to the APC. We all know there is no NDC or any other party in Ebonyi State,” he said.
The minister listed several federal road projects in the region, including the 65-kilometre Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe Road, awarded at N193 billion, which he said was 40 per cent complete.
He also highlighted the 123-kilometre Afikpo-Ndibe Beach-Izzi corridor extending towards the Benue boundary, with a contract sum of N454 billion.
Other projects he mentioned included a 176-kilometre road corridor extending across parts of Benue, Enugu, Kogi and Nasarawa states, awarded at N684 billion.
Umahi further cited the Obuete-Akabia Junction dualisation, valued at N116 billion, and the ABSU Junction-Government House Junction dual carriageway, awarded at N84 billion.
He also listed the Ebeano Beach project and the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Road dualisation, valued at N184 billion, as evidence of the administration’s commitment to infrastructure development in the region.
According to him, the projects would have remained neglected without Tinubu’s intervention.
The minister argued that the President had helped address longstanding complaints of political marginalisation in the South-East.
“We no dey follow any man. We no dey run away from small challenges. We no dey follow sentiments. We are following a man who has remembered the people of Ebonyi, a man who remembers the South-East and has integrated us,” he declared.
Umahi also pledged that Ebonyi would deliver 1.3 million votes for Tinubu in January 2027, insisting that the state had embraced the APC across all elective positions.
Yari, however, set a minimum target of 1.2 million votes, citing figures presented to him indicating that Ebonyi had about 1.8 million registered voters and 1.5 million collected permanent voter cards.
The former Zamfara State governor urged women and youths to mobilise for Tinubu, highlighting the administration’s appointments of women into key government positions and its student loan programme under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He also attributed improved financial capacity among state governments to the Tinubu administration’s revenue reforms and increased allocations from the Federation Account.
Recalling the difficulties governors faced in paying salaries and gratuities during his tenure, Yari said the situation had improved considerably under the current administration.
He cited conversations with serving governors who, he said, had been able to clear substantial pension and gratuity obligations while meeting salary commitments.
Representing Tinubu, Shettima said the President was seeking another mandate to consolidate his administration’s reforms and complete ongoing projects.
He listed the Calabar-Ebonyi-Okigwe-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway, Trans-Saharan Highway, the bridge linking Ebonyi with Cross River State, Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Expressway and Ogoja-Arochukwu-Cross River Road among the infrastructure projects receiving attention.
The Vice President also disclosed that the Federal Government had set aside funds for renewable energy projects in eight locations across Ebonyi to support households and businesses.
He said thousands of residents had benefited from the Presidential Conditional Grants Scheme, while federal employment and digital skills programmes were creating opportunities for young people.
Shettima further highlighted the establishment of the South-East Development Commission, the launch of South-East Vision 2050 and the approval of the South-East Investment Company as evidence of the administration’s commitment to regional development.
He also cited the opening of the Nigerian Army Recruit Training Depot in Amasiri, Afikpo North, as part of efforts to strengthen security in the region.
“Good people of Ebonyi State, we have a million reasons to return with confidence, but we do not take your support for granted,” he said, urging residents to renew Tinubu’s mandate.
Former Imo State governor and APC leader, Hope Uzodimma, also urged the electorate to reject political sentiment and vote for the ruling party, warning that ongoing federal projects could be discontinued if Tinubu failed to secure re-election.
He called on residents to obtain their permanent voter cards, describing them as the most important instrument for securing the President’s return to office.
Uzodimma argued that the South-East could overcome political marginalisation by participating actively in national politics and supporting a government that had incorporated the region into its development agenda.
He also urged the electorate to vote APC across the board, stressing that the party’s symbol, rather than individual candidates’ names, would appear on the ballot.
The APC leaders also called for support for Nwifuru and other party candidates in the February 6, 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections, expressing confidence that the state’s political structure would deliver a comprehensive victory for the ruling party.
However, the ambitious 1.2 million to 1.3 million vote projection presents a major mobilisation challenge for the APC, particularly as the party seeks to translate its claims of federal interventions and growing South-East political inclusion into actual votes at the polls.
