2027: South-East Has Agreed to Re-elect Tinubu, Shettima, Deputy Speaker Kalu Declares
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has declared that the South-East region is united behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Kalu said the people of the region had unanimously agreed to support the re-election of the Tinubu administration in appreciation of what he described as the President’s commitment to the development of the South-East.
He made the declaration on Saturday in Enugu during the flag-off of the APC Women’s Mobilisation Campaign and South-East Women Empowerment Programme organised by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The Deputy Speaker, who is also the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council 11 (South), said the people of the South-East should reciprocate the President’s goodwill by supporting his second-term ambition.
According to him, Tinubu demonstrated his affection for the Igbo people during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 by appointing Igbo indigenes into his administration.
Kalu specifically cited the appointment of Ben Akabueze into the Lagos State cabinet, describing it as evidence of Tinubu’s longstanding relationship with the Igbo community.
He also credited the President with signing the South-East Development Commission Bill into law, describing the establishment of the commission as a significant step towards addressing the region’s developmental challenges.
Kalu recalled that successive administrations had failed to fulfil the promises of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reintegration made to the Igbo people after the Nigerian Civil War.
He argued that Tinubu had demonstrated his commitment to the region through infrastructure development, road construction, bridge projects, scholarships and financial support.
The Deputy Speaker also commended the First Lady for her women empowerment initiatives in the South-East.
Urging residents of the region to mobilise for the January 16, 2027 presidential election, Kalu insisted that the South-East had no alternative presidential candidate for now other than Tinubu and Shettima.
He said: “South-East is complete. Ndi Igbo have unanimously agreed that we will return President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima in 2027 to continue their good work.”
Kalu further maintained that the Igbo people deserved an eight-year presidential tenure whenever it becomes their turn to produce Nigeria’s President, arguing that the region should not be restricted to a single four-year term.
He, however, stressed that the immediate responsibility of the South-East was to support the Tinubu administration, which he said had shown commitment to the region.
