Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has called on the Igbo people of the South-East to vote for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, saying that casting votes for any other candidate would amount to a waste.
Soludo made this call on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the Anambra State capital, where he was sworn in for a second term as governor. The occasion brought together some of the most prominent figures in Nigerian politics, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, and deputy governors from several South-East states.
Speaking before the large crowd and dignitaries, Soludo praised President Tinubu, describing him as cerebral, and called on Ndigbo not to waste their votes on anyone else. He said that while the dream of an Igbo president remains important, the timing for producing a president of South-East extraction is not now.
It was a bold political statement from a governor who only hours earlier had been re-elected by a landslide. Soludo thanked the people of Anambra for their overwhelming support during last year’s gubernatorial election, describing the result as more than ordinary votes — he called it an affirmation of love and partnership in rebuilding their homeland.
A Strong Endorsement of Tinubu
Soludo hailed President Tinubu as a cerebral, courageous, and patriotic Nigerian, describing him as a leader the South-East should trust to make a major difference for both Nigeria and the region.
The governor pointed to specific federal projects as evidence that Tinubu is delivering for the South-East. He thanked the President for ongoing federal projects in the South-East, particularly the Enugu-Onitsha expressway and an adjunct to the Second Niger Bridge.
Soludo also disclosed that he had held direct talks with Tinubu about the region’s needs. During President Tinubu’s state visit to Anambra on May 8, 2025, Soludo had requested the inclusion of Anambra and the South-East in the national gas and rail master plans, as well as the dredging of the River Niger to make the Onitsha River Port fully operational — and that the President approved.
These promises, Soludo argued, show that the federal government is ready to invest seriously in the South-East. He said the region must respond by supporting Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
A New Direction: Engagement, Not Agitation
Beyond the 2027 election, Soludo used his inauguration speech to push a broader message about how the Igbo people should approach their place in Nigeria. He called on the Igbo people to move away from agitation and instead actively engage in national politics by building strategic alliances, arguing that constructive engagement remains the most effective tool for achieving equity and inclusion within the Nigerian federation.
He reminded the gathering that with an estimated 11.6 million Igbos living in the North and over seven million in Lagos, and over 70 percent of Igbo non-land assets scattered across Nigeria and the world, the South-East needs Nigeria just as Nigeria needs the South-East.
Soludo called on the Igbo nation to reinvent the past glories of great leaders like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. M.I. Okpara, Dr. Akanu Ibiam, and Dr. Ukpabi Asika, urging an end to what he described as endless lamentations. He also proposed what he called a Marshall Plan for the South-East — a major federal reconstruction effort to make up for decades of neglect following the civil war.
Shettima Praises Soludo
Vice President Shettima, who represented President Tinubu at the ceremony, had warm words for the Anambra governor. He described Soludo as a man of ideas and honour who has remained committed to national growth and development, and said President Tinubu’s economic policies have benefited from the governor’s practical commentaries on the state of the nation.
Shettima observed that Soludo’s overwhelming victory in the November 2025 election was a clear mandate from the people and a testament to his integrity, at a time when many politicians sacrifice their principles for political gain. He pledged that the federal government remains a committed partner to Anambra State.
Reactions: Not Everyone Is Convinced
Soludo’s endorsement of Tinubu has, however, not gone without pushback. The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) warned President Tinubu to be wary of promises of support by those it described as “self-acclaimed Igbo leaders,” insisting that the choice of presidential candidate for 2027 ultimately rests with the people, not political figures.
MASSOB leader Uchenna Madu said in a statement that these individuals do not represent the true will of the Igbo people and that their influence will not translate into genuine voter support.
Similarly, the Njiko Igbo Forum, an Igbo advocacy group, rejected Soludo’s position. Its president, Rev. Dr. Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, said no amount of adoption of Tinubu by Soludo would turn Igbo votes to Tinubu, and called on every Igbo person not to listen to political rhetoric being used to push for Tinubu’s return in 2027. The group maintained that since 2027 is considered the last four years of the eight-year cycle for the South of Nigeria, the presidency should go to the South-East.
Background: The South-East and the Presidency
The South-East has long argued that it has been marginalised in Nigeria’s political power-sharing arrangement. The region, which is predominantly Igbo, has not produced a president since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, and many of its people believe it is their turn to hold the nation’s highest office.
In the 2023 presidential election, the South-East largely voted for Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who is from Anambra State. Tinubu received very little support from the region. Many Igbo groups still believe that Obi — or another South-East candidate — should be the focus of their votes in 2027, not an incumbent from the South-West.
Soludo’s call therefore puts him at odds with a significant portion of his own people — and sets the stage for what promises to be a fierce debate within Igboland as 2027 draws closer.