• No Igbo will contest president in 2027, says Ohanaeze
• Arogbo Ijaws back Tompolo’s door-to-door campaign for President’s re-election

Ahead of the 2027 general election, President Bola Tinubu is intensifying lobbying of the South-East votes to secure a second term in office, using the Onitsha-Aba and other road projects as barter.
 
The President has also informed the region that the Owerri-Aba, Enugu-Abakaliki dualisation, as well as the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nassarawa-Abuja road contracts, embarked upon by his administration, are indicators that a second term in office would bring more dividends of democracy, and should trigger massive support of the region for his second term ambition.
 
Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, reiterated this appeal at the golden jubilee celebration of the throne of the traditional ruler of Amaifeke Community, in Orlu Local Council Area, and Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Institutions, of His Royal Majesty, Eze E.C Okeke, held in Owerri at the weekend.
 
In a statement issued by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji, the President told the region to reciprocate the inclusivity and channels of economic prosperity of his administration by supporting his ambition.
 
The statement said: “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has reiterated his unwavering commitment to inclusive economic prosperity for all sections of the nation.
 
Meanwhile, the Chidi Ibe faction of the apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, at the weekend, said that no Igbo man will contest for President in 2027 against the incumbent President, Tinubu, saying that the possibility of the South-East producing the President of Nigeria can only be achieved in 2035, not 2027.
 
In a statement in Abakaliki, signed by the Deputy President General of the faction, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the national spokesman, Thompson Ohia, they revealed that the decision was taken after a crucial meeting with South-East political leaders, Imeobi and Nzukoumunna, in which they resolved that no Igbo man will contest the Presidency in 2027 against Tinubu, signalling the rejection of the one-term bid proposal.
 
They maintained that the most practicable political vehicle for the pursuit of the Igbo presidency lies within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2035 if the zoning formula is altered, saying that among notable Igbo sons, the Minister of Works, Umahi, stands out.

ALSO, the Arogbo Ijaws, at the weekend, declared support for the re-election of Tinubu in 2027 with a vow to mobilise across Ijaw clans and kingdoms in the country.

While disclosing their resolve to back High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo’s door-to-door campaign support group for the re-election of Tinubu, they lauded the President for leveraging Tompolo’s ingenuity, stressing that the move has positively altered the negative narrative surrounding the Niger Delta.