The All Progressives Congress (APC) has set a target of 1.3 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Ebonyi State ahead of the 2027 general elections, as top party leaders intensified efforts to consolidate the President’s support base in the South-East.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; and the party’s Director of Mobilisation, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, made the call on Monday at the APC presidential campaign rally in Abakaliki.
The party leaders urged Ebonyi residents to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and use them to vote for Tinubu and other APC candidates, expressing confidence that the state would deliver massive support for the ruling party.
Umahi, who announced the 1.3 million-vote target, attributed the party’s confidence to the Federal Government’s ongoing infrastructure projects in Ebonyi and other parts of the South-East.
He said the Tinubu administration had demonstrated its commitment to the region through major road construction and rehabilitation projects aimed at improving connectivity and boosting economic activities.
The minister listed the 65-kilometre Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe road, linking Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states, as one of the projects being executed at a cost of N193 billion, adding that work had reached about 40 per cent completion.
He also cited the 123-kilometre road from Afikpo at Ndibe Beach through parts of Ebonyi to the Benue boundary, valued at N454 billion.
According to him, another 176-kilometre road linking the Ebonyi-Benue boundary through parts of Benue and Enugu to Kogi and Nasarawa states is being constructed at a cost of N684 billion.
Umahi further highlighted the dualisation of Obuete-Akabia Junction road, valued at N116 billion, and the ABSU Junction-Government House Junction road, costing N84 billion.
He added that construction was ongoing on the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Road, alongside the Ebeano Beach project, where work had commenced on the bridge and connecting road.
The minister described the projects as evidence that the Tinubu administration was integrating the South-East into the country’s development agenda.
“We are following a man who has remembered the people of Ebonyi, a man who remembers the South-East and has integrated us,” Umahi said.
He urged the people to reciprocate the Federal Government’s interventions by voting for Tinubu in 2027, insisting that the APC would deliver the promised 1.3 million votes.
Similarly, Uzodimma called on Ebonyi residents, particularly youths and women, to obtain their PVCs and support the APC, arguing that continuity in government was necessary to complete ongoing development projects.
The Imo governor urged voters to approach the election with pragmatism, national unity and a sense of inclusion rather than ethnic or regional considerations.
He maintained that the South-East must remain actively involved in national decision-making and support a political platform capable of guaranteeing the region’s representation at the centre.
Uzodimma also described the massive turnout at the rally as a demonstration of the APC’s growing acceptance in Ebonyi State.
Representing the APC National Chairman, Yilwatda, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Dr Ben Nwoye, urged voters to support the APC at all levels of the elections.
He identified the establishment of the South-East Development Commission as one of the Tinubu administration’s major interventions aimed at addressing the region’s developmental challenges.
He also highlighted the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing the student loan initiative as an opportunity for more young Nigerians to access higher education through interest-free loans.
Nwoye urged Ebonyi residents to vote for the APC from the presidential to state-level elections.
On his part, Oshiomhole appealed to Nigerians to give Tinubu another four years to consolidate the economic reforms initiated by his administration.
The former Edo State governor argued that the President had overcome the initial difficulties associated with implementing major economic policies and was now better positioned to deliver their expected benefits.
He also praised Umahi’s performance as Minister of Works, attributing the progress recorded on several infrastructure projects to the support and backing of the President.
Oshiomhole said the ongoing road projects across the South-East demonstrated the results that could be achieved when ministers received adequate presidential support.
He challenged opposition parties to present their records and policy alternatives to Nigerians, expressing confidence that the APC would defeat its opponents through a credible and democratic electoral process.
The rally attracted APC leaders, supporters and stakeholders from Ebonyi and other parts of the South-East, with speakers urging residents to support Tinubu and other party candidates.
The 1.3 million-vote target announced at the rally underscores the APC’s determination to strengthen its political foothold in the South-East as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
