In what many political commentators are speculating as a massive political shift ahead of the 2027 elections, all five South-East governors have reportedly thrown their weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid.
The Governor of Imo State and Chairman, South-East Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, who announced the powerhouse alliance, cited the President’s unprecedented commitment to landmark infrastructure and economic transformation initiatives across the South-East geo-political zone.
He said the governors’ resolve to support President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 was based on his administration’s visible development efforts within the region in the last three years, assuring that they would continue to identify with the President and the Renewed Hope Agenda because of the tangible dividends already delivered.
Addressing the Imo State Elders Council and traditional rulers meeting in Owerri, the state capital, Governor Uzodinma, said the South-East could no longer be swayed by political rhetoric when evidence of federal intervention across the zone was visible.
According to him; “We, the five governors of the South-East, have reviewed all options and decided that we will work with President Bola Tinubu because we want to be part of the Project Nigeria”, adding that the governors would soon pay a joint courtesy visit to President Tinubu to further strengthen their partnership with the Federal Government.
He further explained that the decision was informed by the administration’s record in addressing long-standing developmental concerns in the South-East, including the establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), a demand that had remained unmet since the end of the civil war.
He said besides signing the South East Development Commission Act into law on July 24, 2024, the President inaugurated its governing board in February 2025, and ensured the Commission commenced operations with proper funding portfolio.
Also citing the rehabilitation and commencement of commercial operations on the Port Harcourt–Aba rail line, the Forum Chairman described the project as the first practical step towards reconnecting the South-East to the national rail network, even as he praised the President’s approval of a $3 billion reconstruction of the Eastern Rail Corridor stretching from Port Harcourt through the South-East to Maiduguri, noting that the project would significantly boost commerce and regional integration.
Speaking on the administration’s road infrastructure intervention, Governor Uzodinma lauded the Federal Government for executing the Phase 2A and 2B access roads to the Second Niger Bridge, including the dual carriageway linking Umunya, Ogbunike, Ogidi, Nkpor and Asaba, with seven bridges along the corridor.
The Imo Governor lauded the Federal Government’s approval of the 108-kilometer Otuocha–Anam–Abaji Road and the 150-kilometer Oba–Nnewi–Uga–Ihube/Okigwe Junction Road, noting that these strategic dualization projects will bridge crucial economic divides, firmly linking Anambra, Imo, and Abia to neighboring regions and accelerating widespread commercial connectivity across Nigeria.
Beyond these monumental infrastructure undertakings, the Governor emphasized that the entire South-East has become a major beneficiary of game-changing national policies, just as he also pointed to expanded state allocations, dynamic student loan programs, heightened security efforts, and crucial fiscal reforms that are actively lowering the cost of doing business as vital catalysts for regional prosperity.
Hear him: “The South-East has decided. Our people judge governments by performance and not by political sentiments. The evidence is on the ground.”
The five South East Governors are Hope Uzodimma (Imo, Chairman), Alex Otti (Abia), Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), and Peter Mbah (Enugu).
