By Samson Ezea
On March 27–28, 2026, the congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which commenced at the ward level, came to a close with the election of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s 8th National Convention held at Eagle Square, Abuja.
The epoch-making event, attended by the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors, National Assembly members, party leaders, and delegates, produced a new leadership for the party, led by its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda and other key officials, including the Deputy National Chairman (South) Dr. Ben Nwoye.
No doubt, the outcome of the convention has ushered in a new dawn in the politics of the Southeast zone with the emergence of Dr. Ben Nwoye from Enugu State as Deputy National Chairman (South). Nwoye succeeded Chief Emma Enekwu, also from Enugu State, who had been in the national leadership of the party for over a decade without significantly expanding the party’s inroads, presence, or dominance in the zone.
With Nwoye’s emergence, courtesy of the support of Governor Peter Mbah, alongside his predecessors, Barr Sullivan Chime and Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who were also present at the convention, the APC has gained a more sure-footed presence and renewed viability in Enugu State and the Southeast zone.
Enugu State, widely regarded as the symbol and political capital of the Southeast zone, becoming firmly rooted in the APC is a clear indication that the zone is ready to engage in national politics and cannot afford to repeat the mistake of the 2015 Nigerian general elections.
It would be recalled that in 2015, even when it became evident that the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and incumbent President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, was on the verge of losing the election to Gen Muhammadu Buhari, the APC candidate from the North, who had successfully forged a political alliance between the North and the Southwest bloc led by Sebator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Southeast political leadership remained aligned with Jonathan, who eventually lost the election.
The unfolding political developments ahead of the 2027 general elections indicate that the best pathway for the Southeast to align properly with mainstream national politics is to secure relevance and strategic importance within the APC.
This can only be achieved through massive support for the party in the 2027 general elections. The benefits of such strategic alignment are both enormous and enduring, as already evident in the zone, particularly in the area of infrastructural development, especially road construction, since the present administration at the centre assumed office.
With Governor Mbah’s movement to the APC and his cordial relationship with the Presidency, manifested in several developmental strides within the state and beyond, coupled with the support of other APC governors in the zone and the emergence of Nwoye, a seasoned politician and administrator, as Deputy National Chairman (South), the Southeast is now better positioned and represented in the party than ever before ahead of 2027 general elections.
It is evident that the level of support the zone gives to the APC in the 2027 general elections will ultimately determine its place in the leadership and political structure of the country thereafter. In this regard, Governor Mbah, alongside other Southeast governors, political leaders, and Nwoye, deserve the support of every well-meaning Southeasterner who understands the realities and arithmetic of Nigerian politics.
The political reality and undiluted truth is that the emergence of a President of Southeast extraction can only be achieved through zoning, strategic alliances, bridge-building, and national integration.
At present, the political platform that offers such a pathway is the APC, and Governor Mbah, alongside other leaders in the zone, possesses the temperament, capacity, and reach to actualize this objective if given the necessary support.
As further evidence of this shifting dynamic, even the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which governs Anambra State, has openly declared its support for the APC-led presidency ahead of 2027, indicating that it will not field a presidential candidate.
All these are clear indicators that the Southeast cannot afford to remain on the sidelines in the politics and leadership of Nigeria after the 2027 general elections. That the zone could not achieve its aspirations within the PDP for various reasons does not mean such goals are unattainable within the APC, especially given the calibre of political leaders the zone currently has in the party.
Ezea writes from Independence Layout, Enugu State
