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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Enugu State Governor, Chief Peter Mbah, has warned that the South-East risks further political isolation if it fails to make strategic political choices in the 2027 general elections.
Mbah, who spoke during the inauguration of As Tinubu, Mbah Moves (ATM), a political support group convened by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, in Enugu, urged the people of the region to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He said the region could not secure its political future through isolation but by building strategic alliances across the country, arguing that although the South-East aspired to produce Nigeria’s president, such ambition would require political calculations, alliances and partnerships with other geopolitical zones.
The governor recalled how prominent Igbo leaders, including the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dr Michael Okpara, built political alliances with other regions to advance the interests of the South-East in the First Republic.
“If we make a mistake in 2027, the danger is that we are still going to continue to be isolated. We are still going to continue to be ignored. Nobody would care because we have not been strategic in making ourselves relevant,” he said.
Mbah noted that Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election without significant support from the South-East, arguing that the region should consider the political implications of failing to support him again in 2027.
“Imagine that the president won his election in 2023 without the support of the South-East. And this was when he wasn’t a president. The likelihood is that if we don’t support him this time again, he’s still going to win. What do you think that holds for us in the South-East?” he asked.
He urged the people to support Tinubu’s re-election, describing him as a unifier and defending his economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of the foreign exchange rates.
The governor said the policies, though difficult, were necessary to restore confidence in the economy, attract private investment and create the foundation for shared prosperity.
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He also cited federal infrastructure projects, including the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the proposed direct cargo flight from Enugu to Guangzhou, China, as developments that would benefit the South-East.
Mbah charged ATM members to take their mobilisation beyond the inauguration venue and reach communities, markets, families and polling units, warning APC supporters against complacency.
“Let us fight as though we’re the underdogs. Let us come out and campaign vigorously. Do not leave any stone unturned. You have to cover the ground. Get to our families, get to our kindreds, knock at their doors and tell them what you see around you,” he said.
Earlier, Udeh said ATM would deploy technology to make its political mobilisation measurable, disclosing that the group had established a digital situation room and dashboard to monitor membership and activities across polling units.
He said the initiative would eliminate unverified membership claims, explaining that prospective members would register with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and Voter Identification Numbers (VINs) through an online portal.
Udeh also disclosed that the platform had a reward system designed to encourage members to recruit others, adding that membership growth and mobilisation efforts would be tracked through a database.
“We don’t make claims. We say we have 20,000 members or 50,000 members by word of mouth. No, it will be tracked by records, by database,” he said.
The ATM Coordinator, Onyebuchi Igboke, said members, many of whom previously operated in civil society, had decided to mobilise grassroots support for Mbah and Tinubu.
He said the group would deploy technology, knowledge and community networks to educate voters and ensure that its political activities translated into measurable electoral support.
