Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has urged the South-East to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that such backing could strengthen the region’s prospects of producing Nigeria’s president in the future.
Soludo said cooperation with the incumbent southern president could help build trust among Nigeria’s political blocs ahead of future power shifts.
The governor made the remarks in Igbo in a video that circulated on social media platform X on Friday.
According to him, the South-East should take advantage of Tinubu’s remaining four years in office to cultivate political relationships that could translate into support for an Igbo presidential candidate when power eventually returns to the South.
“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,” he said.
Soludo stressed the importance of political inclusion and rotation, adding that leadership opportunities should be extended to different groups rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals.
He also dismissed the prospect of seeking a third term as governor, saying he believed others should have the opportunity to attain positions of leadership.
“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.
On the position of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the platform on which he was elected governor, Soludo said the party would align with the prevailing political direction in pursuit of the South-East’s interests.
“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 added.
The governor’s comments come days after his inclusion in the revised presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is working towards Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Soludo was named alongside Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among other political figures appointed to the campaign council.
APGA welcomed Soludo’s inclusion, describing it as evidence of his longstanding push for strategic cooperation between the Anambra State Government and the Federal Government.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opera, said the partnership had delivered benefits to Anambra through federal collaboration on infrastructure projects and economic development initiatives.
Soludo’s position signals a strategic argument for the South-East to pursue its long-term presidential ambition through political alliances and engagement with the federal government, rather than isolation from the dominant political forces.