A former Governor of Enugu State, Okwesilieze Nwodo, has reminded South-East leaders throwing their support to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and President Bola Tinubu that the people of the region only vote according to their conscience.
 
He stated this in an interview with Arise News yesterday, adding that the people cannot be swayed by what the leaders of thought and important politicians in the region are doing or who they have decided to support in 2027.
 
Nwodo said political leaders in the South-East declaring support for the APC and Tinubu’s second term are not speaking for the people of the region. Nwodo argued that elite political alignments do not reflect the feelings and voting behaviour of ordinary people across the South-East.
 
“These are our leaders who are not speaking the mind of our people. I can tell you that for certain,” Nwodo said. “It is information you can gather on the streets, in the marketplace, anywhere you go. That is the natural feeling of the people.”
 
Nwodo said while some governors and political heavyweights have publicly aligned with the APC, many Nigerians remain unconvinced by the reasons behind these defections.

He said: “Many of us in this country are wondering what the attraction for our governors, in particular, who are leaving their parties for the APC, is. We do not see the justification in the opposition of the party, the APC. We do not see it in the performance of the central government.”
 
He warned against what he described as a drift towards a one-party system without ideological or performance-based justification.
 
“People are wondering why we should be drifting to a one-party state, not based on ideology, not based on the performance of that party,” Nwodo said.
 
Recall that the elite in the South-East are joining the bandwagon by trooping to the APC, while also declaring that the region is for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
 
Asked why political leaders in the South-East are not backing one of their own, former Anambra governor, Peter Obi, Nwodo said: “I will not attempt to hold brief for any of our politicians in the region who wish to support the President for a re-election.”