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The Ndigbo for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2027 Forum (NDI-ABAT) has entered a strategic partnership with the City Boy Movement as part of an ambitious campaign to mobilise 11 million votes from the South-East for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The group said the alliance would deepen its engagement with Ndigbo and other stakeholders while providing a platform to advance issues of regional development, economic empowerment, political participation and national integration.
The partnership was reached during a meeting between NDI-ABAT leaders and the Patron of the City Boy Movement, Seyi Tinubu, alongside other members of the movement, in Abuja.
In a statement issued yesterday by its National Coordinator, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Secretary-General, Dr Ugwuoke Ugwuoke Jr, NDI-ABAT described the collaboration as a new phase in its mobilisation strategy ahead of the 2027 election.
The organisation said it would take its campaign to communities, business groups, youth organisations and other stakeholder networks, urging voters to assess political leadership on the basis of policies, development outcomes and measurable achievements.
At the heart of the group’s strategy is its projection of 11 million votes from the South-East for Tinubu, a target that would require a significant shift in the region’s voting pattern compared with the 2023 presidential election.
NDI-ABAT said the partnership with the City Boy Movement would provide additional capacity for grassroots mobilisation and political engagement across the region and beyond.
The organisation also hopes to improve Tinubu’s performance in areas where the All Progressives Congress recorded relatively weak support in the 2023 election, including the South-East, Delta State, Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory.
Rather than relying solely on campaign rhetoric, the group said it would anchor its mobilisation around issues it believes matter directly to voters.
NDI-ABAT noted that South-East remains the only one of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones with five states, arguing that an additional state would address what it considers a longstanding imbalance in the country’s administrative structure.
The group said it would continue engaging the Federal Government and other stakeholders on proposals for a new state, including Aba State and Anioma State, or any other option broadly acceptable to the region.
It described the issue as an important component of its political engagement with the people of the South-East.
NDI-ABAT commended the Tinubu administration’s interventions in the South-East and the efforts of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, while calling for the completion of ongoing federal infrastructure projects in the region between 2026 and 2031.
According to the group, visible delivery of infrastructure projects would be crucial to demonstrating the practical impact of government policies and strengthening public confidence.
It also plans to place economic empowerment at the centre of its mobilisation, particularly for young people, traders and entrepreneurs across the South-East and among Igbo communities in other parts of the country.
The organisation said improved access to economic opportunities and stronger support for small and medium-scale businesses would help rebuild confidence between citizens and government.
Although the group’s mobilisation is built around its engagement with Ndigbo, it said its political activities would extend beyond the South-East.
NDI-ABAT said it would seek to build broader support for Tinubu while promoting what it described as national interest, fairness, development and accountability.
“Political decisions should be guided by national interest, development, fairness, and accountability,” the group said.
It argued that the outcomes of the 2015, 2019 and 2023 elections offered Nigerians lessons that should inform their assessment of political leadership ahead of 2027.
The organisation said its campaign would remain peaceful and within the bounds of democratic engagement.
As part of the mobilisation programme, NDI-ABAT announced plans for an Asiwaju Summit in Asaba, Delta State, on August 31, 2026.
An Igbo Town Hall Meeting is also scheduled to hold in Lagos on September 14, where issues including political participation, economic empowerment and regional development are expected to dominate discussions.
The group said the two events would provide opportunities for direct interaction with stakeholders and enable it to broaden its political network ahead of the 2027 contest.
With the alliance between NDI-ABAT and the City Boy Movement, the pro-Tinubu campaign is beginning to place greater emphasis on grassroots organisation and issue-based mobilisation in the South-East.
Whether the ambitious 11-million-vote projection can be translated into actual electoral support, however, will depend on the ability of the coalition to convert its political messaging, regional demands and grassroots activities into sustained voter confidence before the 2027 presidential poll.
