Politics
What many people don’t know about me –Ikpeazu
Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, a biochemist, got his PHD at 29 and became a politician by accident. In this interview, he opens up on so many issues including his upbringing, education, marriage and incursion into politics.
As a son to a common man, how did you brave the odds to become the governor of Abia State?
I am from a humble background. My father was a teacher and my mother a nurse. I have two siblings. I went to public schools like every other child. The advantage I had, was that my father placed a premium on education and invested a lot of time to ensure we’re educated. As a teacher, my father was often transferred around Abia State. So, I went to different primary schools just as my father was moving from one location to the other. I attended Umuogele primary school and Amaise central school. My secondary school was at Ihie high school. Then, I proceeded to the University of Maiduguri. I was a Jambite at 16 and got my doctorate in biochemistry at 29. I knew I was preparing for a career as a lecturer in the university. I lectured at Calabar Polytechnic, Ebonyi state University and Enugu State University where I was Head of Department, at a time, a member of the University Senate.
How did you venture into politics from the classroom?
It was accidental. I would say my father had a strong influence over me because he was interested in politics. At a point, he was the election officer for federal constituency elections. He was a strong member of the NRC and I have sympathy for SDP at some point, doing some youth activism. That was how I developed an interest in leadership. I understudied some leaders, read a few books about Odumegwu Ojukwu, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo. So, after my stay as a lecturer, I was appointed the Transition Committee Chairman of my LGA. I later became Special Adviser, Chairman of College of Health, the General manager of Abia state Passengers Integration Management Safety Scheme and the deputy manager of Abia Waste Management Agency in Abia zone.
A lot of people do not know how you fared during your time in these agencies. Can you give us insight into your stewardship?
My motor is integrity and hard work. I believe in solving a problem. First, I study problems and formulate a strategy to solve them. When I took over waste management in Aba, I had 62 -68 heaps of rubbish. Each of them took like two trucks to clear. People were flinging waste from the windows of their cars. We set a procedure where waste management has to be done from 5 pm. So, at 5 pm every day I rolled out my trucks and worked throughout the night so that my trucks won’t have to compete with the daily traffic for space. I delivered my mandate. As the Chairman of the College of Health, I got Accreditation for five courses and established the Laboratories. I turned that school from the school of Hygiene to the college of health. As a General Manager of ASPIMSS, I started the regular Ambulance service for accident victims. I laid the foundation and built up to the lintel level what we will soon commission as the first trauma centre in Abia State. At every point, where I find myself, I try to leave a mark.
That leads us to your emergence as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in 2015. Some people believe that you were not prepared for governance and never worked for it. Was that the case?
I scaled the PDP primaries and won the governorship election on merit. The success I recorded in my previous positions, relationships and contacts played key roles in the primaries and victory. My strongest point was not a fat bank account but my contact and the goodwill I had. I assembled a strong political and economic team. We had the likes of the late Chijioke Nwakodo, John Nwangborogwu and Kingsley Megwara in the political team, while individuals like Dr Enelamah and Emeka Onwuka, former MD of Diamond bank formed the economic team. I had a strong plan and agenda. And at that time, I commissioned my study on the economic issues bedevilling Abia State. I had brilliant Abians come together and then we crafted the five-point agenda which later became the five pillars of development. My selling point was that I was going to bring humility to bear. I was going to be unassuming. I was going to create a platform for all those who have something to contribute to come to the table so that together we will build an Abia that guarantees a better life for her people. So, getting into the primaries, I knew I stood a very good chance because those who were running against me at that time were leveraging their wealth, their contacts and what the presidency would help them do. But I was presenting myself as a commoner for the common people. People were looking for a government they can feel, touch and relate with. I also discovered that politicians would prefer to deal with somebody that has felt what they are feeling now rather than somebody that is imported from elsewhere. We approached the delegates and spoke with them. On that day, we were very confident because of the endorsements from everyone including the then governor.
Let’s look at growing up. What were the challenges and how were you able to overcome them?
Growing up was exciting and challenging. My father was disciplined, personified. We had time for breakfast, siesta, lunch and homework. Usually, after lunch, homework and then a siesta. And at that time, 4:30 was the time for soccer. So, My friends who were not part of this strict regimen would be playing ball to my pleasure. I would sneak out to enjoy soccer but only to return with 12 or 24 strokes almost on daily basis. You cannot be found doing the wrong thing at any time. How you speak, look, walk and respond to people, were all part of the training. My father taught me early enough to seek and do whatever would give me joy and peace of mind. Whatever that is just, virtuous and pure. My mother taught me compassion and to win without raising a finger. So, I had to find a way to evolve into the man that I’ve become using these nuggets I got from both parents. In school, I was also bullied because I was the smallest in the class. There were no boreholes then, so, I had to fetch water and submit it in the kitchen for them to qualify me for a meal. All these things prepared me for the challenges in life. That was why I remain calm almost to the discomfort of many of my friends because even in the heat of a crisis, I find the strength to remain calm, calculated and focused on what I want to do. I also had a very disciplined younger sister who would report me to my parents at any time I fall short of expectation.
How and where did you meet your wife and what was the word you wooed her with?
My mother and my mother-in-law were working in the same hospital. So, it made it difficult for me; I nearly lost my mind in terms of getting her to agree to marry me because of all my negative attributes. If I didn’t wash my plate after eating, my mother will narrate to my mother-in-law because both of them were working in the same hospital. So, when I made up my mind in my second year in the university, I think it was a party, I walked up to her, I knew her very well but we’re not in a relationship. Then, I walked up to her and said I want to marry you Nkechi. At that time, even now I think my wife is opening up a little bit, growing up she was very difficult to excite. To make her laugh was a problem. So, she didn’t even react in any way but her designation suggests to me she wants to hang around me. Since I came from the angle of marriage, I decided to keep my distance. It was 10 years’ interval, that’s why she has a lot of respect for me. So, we were unofficially married for 10 years and officially married for 25 years. If you put the years together, it will be 35 years of marriages (laughs).
Let us into your closest, what kind of a husband and father are you to your wife and children?
I taught my children our family virtues. My father taught me the virtues of integrity. Integrity capital for me is more important than money. So, I have taught my children that. They trust me and they can connect with me properly. My grandfather was a blacksmith. The family dogma today is that you heat the iron when it is hot. It means teaching them how to take opportunities. The tragedy of many public officers is that they get too busy that they leave their family for public office and by the time they return, they would have lost the family. Greater thanks to internet technology. I have a chat group with my boys; I have a chat group with my girls and my wife. We have one for family talk. To my wife, I have the utmost respect for her. She has a special place in my heart where no other can occupy. She is extremely supportive and I listen to her. She is a kind and nice woman. She can also be very firm and disciplined. On the eve of our wedding, I drew my green and red lines. For instance, I said to her I love my friends, I can hang out with my friends. If you noticed I’m hanging out with friends, give us some space. I am your chief defender and protector. Nothing will undermine you. So, she doesn’t come between me and my friends and that’s important for me.
What’s that secret about you that people do not know?
The part of my life that many people do not know about is that before I became governor, I had less than 20 publications in biochemistry. But I have 76 now. As the governor, I have chaired two research groups, one at Michael Okpara University. I am writing a 10-chapter book in biochemistry. I have written seven chapters. I asked the young lecturers working with me to do two to three chapters for recognition. That book is special. It’s titled the Biochemistry of Environmental Pollution.
Let’s talk about Kinetic Abia, why did you leave it late?
As a biochemist, I define issues at the molecular level. What we’re doing is a research-based government. From the beginning in 2015, I had people plan out where we were going. I asked myself, for instance, Aba road in Umuahia, why was it such a difficult road to handle? When I found out the problem, I started to ask what Engineering device and strategy are we going to deploy to solve this problem and I got that answer. The next answer we wanted was, who is competent and capable of doing it? That was how I arrived at Arab contractors. Arab contractors deployed what they called capillary to make sure that the presence of that tube there does not stop the flow of water and that has solved the problem. This is the third year of that road and it’s standing without a pothole. And you come to Aba, was it that the previous administration did no road? The answer is no, I was part of the last administration when some money was voted for this railway junction along Aba Owerri road. Then why is it that all the roads, Osusu road and Port Harcourt road collapsed? Ehere Umuola, Ukaegbu roads, all had plantain and other trees flourishing in the middle of the road? Since I had been part of the government, I knew that the government had deployed resources but no solution. Then, I found out that because water had sat on these roads for a while, the texture of the soil had compromised and became silty. So, doing flexible pavement on these roads will not solve all the problems. The second issue was that those roads were without drainages. We had to start desilting of Aba river to prepare a recipient water for the storm water because we wanted to channel all drainages there. What you are seeing is a product of painstaking planning and tackling issues at the molecular level until it fits into expectations. For the first time, we have an end to end drainage from Asa Nnentu to No1 Port Harcourt road, meaning that I have done 70 per cent of the job. I am being scientific in dealing with the issues that confront us in Abia and much more will happen. By the time I do Ohanku, Obohia, and Ngwa road, I have done Osusu and do Ọmụma, and do Port Harcourt road, I will now ask the people, what else do you want? We will certainly do all these roads.
When are we going to see the completion of the Osisioma bridge and other projects of your predecessor?
We have paid the contractor handling the Osisioma flyover to get the project done. We could not do much last year because the stage they are now can only be done during the dry season. If you go there today, you’ll be amazed at how fast that flyover has gone. I am sure that in a few months, we will be done. For me, in our books, the Osisioma flyover is done and dusted. As for the new Government House, I am a firm believer that government is a continuum. My predecessor left behind many legacy projects, one of them was the ICC. Now, we are on the Government House project. My commitment to you is that I will sleep in that building before I leave the office.
The recent microfinance bank controversy seemed to have made a mess of the SME goal of your administration. What transpired?
The issue of Microfinance Bank is not tied to our SME. We are still the SME Capital of Nigeria. Those who brought up the issue of the SME and the microfinance bank are clutching on straws. When we came in 2015, we undertook a deep study of the SME issues. They are funding, electricity, automation and capacity building and marketing. Our people could not engage in e-trading and could not market beyond their customers from Togo. I looked at how we can become part of the big leather and garment multi-billion economy of the world. How do we capture the 200 million persons in Nigeria wearing made in Aba? That was why we consider electricity as the most important. We have ensured that Abia would become the first state in Nigeria that will have an uninterruptible power supply before the end of my administration. We will achieve it through Geometrics. Also, I collaborated with the Federal Government to give Ariaria independent power. The next one was financing. It was out of our control. It’s either through the Bank of Industry or other finance agencies. Getting our SME’s to get access to these grants and loans FG gives through banks was also a problem. We have tried to put them together through cooperative societies and for the first time, some of them have benefited. Of all of these, four problems were identified, the one we could control was marketing, and that was how I became the brand ambassador of made in Aba. I wear and promote made in Aba dresses. I took it to the National Assembly and the presidency. We took it to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The culmination of our efforts was the day the 50,000 pairs order was placed by the military and if you calculate 10,000 per person multiplied by 50,000, you know how much it impacted on GDP of the common shoemaker in Aba. The quality of shoes coming from Aba today will compare to the imported ones. Throughout Christmas, that shoe factory was doing shoes for the Nigerian military and couldn’t complete it till the second week of January this year and we have very bright prospects of doing the same thing for the Police. Another is finance. Can we own an SME of our own? We had a commissioner, Gab Igboko who, working with then SSG decided to support the government to acquire a microfinance bank. Their proposal was approved by the State Executive Council and the microfinance bank was opened at Ngwa road and we started lending to People. We opened the bank for the benefit of Akara, yam and tomato sellers. But the naysayers and those who feel they want to run the government down decided to write a petition even to CBN. Whatever they are digging inside the issue around the bank, I wish them well. I insist that, for the sake of our poor people, the shoemakers, for the sake of the SME we are promoting, we should have a place they can go and borrow money. Some people need ₦50,000, some need ₦150,000, some ₦200,000, not everybody needs the millions we are talking about. It’s an unfortunate development that Abia has degenerated into this kind of vitriolic society where we demarket ourselves and the state. Whether they agree or not, the profound indices of development and socioeconomic growth are a creation of a better life which is my moto. It’s manifesting that today, between November and January, we have Kilimanjaro, Chicken Republic, Dominos, Cold Stone, market Square and Cine21 where people go and watch movies. The investors didn’t come here because I am their in-law, they came here because we are one of the states with strong infrastructure.
In one of your outings, a certain traditional ruler asked you to marry a second wife and also go to the senate. You didn’t respond. Does that mean you have jettisoned the idea of returning to the classroom?
I didn’t respond because I didn’t want to sound disrespectful to him. He should have known that I am in the middle of my second tenure. It’s a time I need to keep my hands steady on the wheels. I am not thinking of 2023. I have a huge government business to do. In Abia, you must have your eyes on the ball otherwise even your closest allies will derail. You have had some people who served as commissioners in strategic ministries going outside to say the government is not doing well. So, I have to personally supervise a lot of things. For such a person who just one year after leaving office becomes a critic, it means ab initio, he lacked foresight. That is my way of saying that I am focused on what I have to do. My voracious publication of 76 scientific academic books in various areas of biochemistry tells you that I have a very strong affinity for returning to the classroom. But it is good for my people to desire that I do something else. But it would be immoral for me in 2021 to abandon governance and begin to think of 2023.
The issue of power rotation versus retention is gathering momentum in the build-up to 2023. Do you have any plan to alter the PDP zoning arrangement?
I can’t ensure anything because I am a product of God’s grace, mercy and benevolence. I also do not entertain questions about who want to succeed me in 2023; it would amount to using an elbow to push me out of the seat. I am still the governor. But I have had my fair share of distraction, 13 Court cases lasting three years, COVID year in which I was hospitalised for eight weeks, several months of lockdown and Zero productivity from workers. God in his time will make everything right. The aspirations of my brothers from Abia North is valid and the thinking of some people who also want power in some section of Abia Central is also valid. Until we get to that point, I will talk to those who are from different political families and ourselves about what is the right thing to do? But what will happen will certainly happen. I do not think the attempt of governors to foist successors on people has succeeded 100 per cent. By the time I leave in 2023, I will make sure I won’t be forgetting anything in the Government House.
What should Abians expect from your administration from now till 2023?
Completion of all our major projects. A substantially renewed Aba and Umuahia, with more street lights. You’ll also see cottage industries in many local governments. I want to build 17 cottage agro-allied industries. I am happy to say that in a few months, we will be operationalising the first phase in seven local governments. The equipment has arrived in 14 containers from India. We are thinking of bringing the expatriates and then thinking of installation in those local governments. So, I want to see a rejuvenation of the rural economy. Abians will see an uninterrupted power supply and that will lead to a boom. I am happy to announce that the FG, in January, gazetted Enyimba Economic City as a free zone for manufacture. That is a milestone. Abia under my watch is the first state in Ala Igbo to record export free zone, which is futuristic and transformational.
SUN
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a split decision of two to one, the three-member panel affirmed the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, holding that the congresses organised under the caretaker committee violated an existing court order.
Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that there was no basis to set aside the restraining order issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on April 29.
The appellate court also upheld the lower court’s decision barring the caretaker leadership from interfering with the functions and tenure of the party’s duly elected state executive committees.
According to the court, the ADC Constitution vests the responsibility for conducting state congresses in the elected state executive committees, not the national caretaker leadership.
Justice Donatus Okorowo concurred with the lead judgment, while Justice Abba Mohammed dissented, arguing that the matter was an internal affair of the political party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The suit was filed by aggrieved members of the ADC, who challenged the legality of committees established by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership to conduct state congresses. They argued that the appointments breached the party’s constitution, insisting that only duly elected party organs had the authority to organise state congresses.
In its earlier ruling, the Federal High Court held that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remained valid until fresh congresses and a national convention were properly conducted.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that neither the 1999 Constitution nor the ADC Constitution empowered the caretaker committee to appoint committees to conduct state congresses.
While noting that courts generally refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of political parties, the judge held that judicial intervention is justified where constitutional or statutory provisions are alleged to have been breached.
Affirming the lower court’s decision, the Court of Appeal declared the state congresses and national convention conducted by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership null and void for being carried out in defiance of an existing court order.
The appellate court stressed that once a dispute raises constitutional issues, it ceases to be merely an internal party matter and becomes subject to judicial review.
Consequently, the court dismissed the ADC’s appeal, upheld all the orders of the Federal High Court, and awarded ₦10 million in costs against the party.
By Chinedu Sabastine
A pro-Yoruba women group, operating under the banner of Yoruba Women in Politics (YWIP), has applauded the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye, for strengthening the party across the Southern part of Nigeria barely three months he assumed office.
They said: “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is a very honest and open person. He has done considerably well,” the group said.
He was also praised for displaying high democratic ideals and delivering electoral victories for the ruling party in Southern Nigeria.
Chairperson of the women group Mrs. Dorothy Akinyele, in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday applauded Nwoye “for his loyalty, strength of character, and consistency of purpose to the cause of democracy.”
They expressed delight and satisfaction “with the high degree of determination so far exhibited by Nwoye to applying the principle of fair play in treating all party members and asserting independence and neutrality in most cases.”
The highly revered South West women body also commended Nwoye “for deepening the party’s structures in the South-west, South-South and South-East, empowering women and youth and building a stronger APC and a more inclusive future for Nigeria.”
In particular, the women lauded Nwoye “for mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, preserving the progressive ideals upon which the APC was built and curtailing the abuse of democratic norms in the ruling party.”
According to them, “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is level headed, has milk of human kindness flowing in his veins and committed to the success of President Tinubu and the party in 2027 and beyond,” YWIP said.
It therefore, described Dr. Nwoye as “the influential exponent of national unity,” extolling him for ensuring a smooth internal
Democratic process in his home state Enugu, the coal city state.
The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.
Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.
The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.
According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.
“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.
Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.
His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.
Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch
Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.
“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.
She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.
According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government
“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.
She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.
“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”
Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
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