By Clement Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has declared that the people of the South-East have unanimously resolved to support the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 general election.
Kalu said the region’s current political priority was to reciprocate what he described as Tinubu’s longstanding goodwill towards the Igbo people by supporting his administration for another four-year term.
The Deputy Speaker 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.
He recalled that Tinubu, during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, demonstrated confidence in the Igbo community by appointing people of South-East extraction into key positions in his administration.
Citing former Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ben Akabueze, as an example, Kalu argued that Tinubu’s relationship with the Igbo people had been characterised by inclusion and political accommodation.
“This man has not hidden his love for Ndi Igbo. During his time as the governor of Lagos State, no Igbo property was taken. Nobody who was a businessman in Lagos was arrested. Mr. Ben Akabueze was an Igbo man that he brought into his cabinet as Governor. It has never happened before. I hope we will reciprocate his kind gestures to Ndi Igbo. We must do so this time,” he said.
Kalu, who also serves as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council 11 (South), further credited the Tinubu administration with addressing what he described as decades of neglect of the South-East, particularly the failure of successive governments to fulfil the post-civil war promises of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation.
He maintained that the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), following Tinubu’s assent to its enabling legislation, represented a significant milestone in the region’s quest for development.
According to him, the commission’s establishment ended years of legislative delays that had prevented the region from having a dedicated development agency.
“After the civil war, we waited for almost 60 years for a promise that was made to the people of Igbo land that was not kept. The 3Rs: Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Reintegration. Was the promise kept or not? It wasn’t kept.
“Government after government but they ignored us. Administration after administration, they ignored the Igbo and we were waiting and asking, when will the messiah come to save the Igbo? Then came a man who loves the Igbo from his heart,” Kalu said.
He added that the President’s interventions in the South-East extended beyond the development commission to include road construction, bridge projects, scholarships and loan facilities.
The Deputy Speaker also commended the First Lady for her women empowerment initiatives, which he said were helping to improve the economic prospects of women across the region.
Urging the people of the South-East to mobilise massively for the 2027 presidential election, Kalu called on voters to support Tinubu and Shettima during the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly polls.
He insisted that the region was politically united behind the APC presidential ticket, citing the participation of the five South-East states in the mobilisation effort.
“Come January 16, 2027, we don’t have any other candidate. The Igbo are complete. The governors are complete. Abia is here. Enugu is here. Imo is here. Anambra is here. 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,” he declared.
Kalu, however, argued that the South-East should not be expected to settle for a four-year presidential tenure when it eventually produces Nigeria’s President, insisting that the region deserves the same eight-year opportunity enjoyed by other geopolitical zones.
He said the Igbo people had waited for nearly six decades for an opportunity to occupy the nation’s highest political office and should be allowed a full two-term tenure when their turn arrives.
“Others have had it for eight years and we have waited for too long, almost 60 years. Is it fair for us to do four years? Those who want Ndi Igbo to do only four years, it will not work. Just like others who did eight years, when it is our turn, we will also do eight years because what is good for the goose is also good for the gander,” he said.
He nevertheless maintained that the immediate political responsibility of the South-East was to support Tinubu, whom he described as a leader who had demonstrated commitment to the region’s interests.
“For now, our mandate is to support the man that has been supporting us. This man has not hidden his love for Ndi Igbo,” the Deputy Speaker added.
