The Board Chairperson of Grassroots Advocacy for Tinubu (GAT) and wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mrs. Hanmo Akume, has declared that the Southeast remains critical to the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
Mrs. Akume made the assertion on Friday during the inauguration of the GAT Southeast zonal structure in Ebonyi State, describing the exercise as a strategic move aimed at strengthening grassroots mobilisation for the continuity of President Tinubu’s administration.
The event attracted senior government officials, party leaders, as well as women and youth groups from across the Southeast geopolitical zone.
Commending the governors of Ebonyi, Imo, and Enugu States for their support, Mrs. Akume noted that their presence and participation underscored the region’s growing commitment to national inclusion and sustainable development.
She explained that the establishment of GAT structures in the Southeast was not merely symbolic, but deliberately designed to build sustainable political machinery at the state, local government, and ward levels to deepen democratic participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Representing the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Stanley Emegha, described Ebonyi as a stronghold of the APC, stressing that the party currently controls all elective positions in the state.
He attributed the party’s dominance to the performance of Governor Nwifuru and assured that Ebonyi State would deliver overwhelming support for President Tinubu in 2027.
Emegha added that opposition parties in the state had largely collapsed into the APC, noting that the party’s mobilisation drive would extend beyond the Southeast to support President Tinubu across the country.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, represented by the Imo State NYO Coordinator, Emmanuel Chukwudi, said the APC remained the dominant political force in Imo State and across the Southeast.
According to him, the cordial relationship between the federal and state governments reflected effective governance, adding that the achievements of President Tinubu and the Imo State Government had strengthened public trust in the APC, leaving little room for opposition ahead of the next general election.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, represented by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development, Ngozi Eni, reaffirmed Enugu State’s commitment to the Tinubu 2027 project.
Governor Mbah, while commending the grassroots focus of the advocacy group and the central role of women in political mobilisation, declared that there was “no vacancy” in Aso Rock and Government House, Enugu State, in 2027, assuring the newly inaugurated GAT executives of the full backing of the Enugu State Government.
Speaking earlier, the National Coordinator of GAT, Prof. Ochugudu Ipuele, said the organisation was established to promote the achievements and vision of President Tinubu through sustained grassroots engagement.
He highlighted key reforms of the Tinubu administration, including the establishment of regional development commissions, the student loan scheme, and improved fiscal capacity of states, which he said had enhanced salary payments and service delivery nationwide.
Ipuele called on Nigerians to support the continuity of the Tinubu administration beyond 2027, stressing that sustained reforms were essential to consolidating national unity and economic stability.
In his remarks, the Ebonyi State Coordinator of GAT, Barrister Patrick Anayo Mbam, expressed appreciation over the successful inauguration and pledged to mobilise across all communities in the state to secure victory for President Tinubu, Governor Nwifuru, and all APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Highlights of the event included the formal inauguration of the Southeast zonal executives of GAT and the presentation of awards of excellence to Governors Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and Peter Mbah of Enugu State, in recognition of their leadership and support for grassroots mobilisation.
