Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has urged the South-East to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that the move could help secure support for an Igbo president in the future.
Soludo made the remarks in a video circulating on social media platform X on Friday, where he spoke in Igbo and called for political negotiations and cooperation among Nigeria’s regions.
According to the governor, supporting Tinubu, a southerner from the South-West, could encourage other regions to reciprocate when presidential power eventually returns to the South after another turn in the North.
He argued that the South-East should use Tinubu’s remaining four years in office to build political relationships that could strengthen the region’s chances of producing a future Nigerian president.
“You have to engage in discussions. Now that it is a southerner holding the power, it’s remaining four years. It is now left for us (Igbos) to support him so that when it goes to the North and comes back, we can now trust that every southerner and northerner will support us,” Soludo said.
The governor also stressed the need for political power to rotate among different groups, saying he was not seeking a third term in office.
“What am I vying for? I’ve gotten a governorship position; will I go for a third term? Everyone must be given the opportunity to be able to rise,” he said.
Soludo further declared that the All Progressives Grand Alliance, the platform on which he was elected governor, would support the prevailing political direction in what he described as the interest of the South-East.
“As for APGA, we will support the moving train. Because that is where we can get our share that we would bring home in our own interest,” he said.
His comments come days after his inclusion in the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election.
The revised council list, unveiled on October 13, named Soludo as campaign coordinator for Anambra State. Other prominent figures included Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike.
Soludo’s appointment attracted support from APGA, which described his inclusion as evidence of his advocacy for a strategic partnership between Anambra State and the Federal Government.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opera, said the partnership had produced benefits for Anambra, including federal collaboration on critical infrastructure and economic development initiatives.
Soludo’s position adds to the debate over regional alliances, power rotation and the South-East’s longstanding ambition to produce Nigeria’s president.
