Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria’s South-South region, alongside prominent party leaders, have officially endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
The endorsement was announced on Saturday, June 28, 2025, during the APC South-South stakeholders’ interactive session held in Benin City, Edo State.
The gathering, which brought together party bigwigs and government officials, featured speeches extolling President Tinubu’s leadership qualities and reaffirming support for the continuation of his Renewed Hope Agenda.
Among the key figures present were Senator Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole (Edo North); Hon. Abubakar Momoh, Minister for Niger Delta Regional Development; Governor Bassey Edet Otu of Cross River State, who spoke on behalf of the Progressive Governors’ Forum; former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva; Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku; Deputy Governor of Edo State, Hon. Dennis Idahosa; Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku; Secretary to the Edo State Government, Barr. Umar Musa Ikhilor; APC National Woman Leader, Mary Alile Idele; and the Edo State APC Chairman, Jarret Tenebe.
The meeting unanimously passed a vote of confidence in both President Tinubu and Governor Monday Okpebholo, commending their respective leaderships and reforms. The stakeholders cited landmark initiatives including the student loan scheme and tax exemptions for low-income earners as evidence of President Tinubu’s pro-people governance.
In his address, Governor Okpebholo hailed the unprecedented unity displayed by APC governors in the region, describing their gathering in Benin as historic.
“This is the first time we’re seeing this kind of unity governors from our region sitting in one room to deliberate on the progress of this country,” he said.
He described President Tinubu as a “capacity working president” whose bold reforms have eased the path for infrastructural growth and economic stability.
“Things you think are difficult are made easy through his policies. He has given us the necessary support to work seamlessly,” Okpebholo noted.
Reaffirming his earlier pledge, the Edo Governor vowed to deliver 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in 2027, dismissing opposition doubts.
“How will it not happen when we are already working, constructing good roads? Roads linking eight communities in Uhunmwonde including the one neglected for eight years under the last administration are being fixed. Without the President’s support, this wouldn’t be possible. 2027 is already settled in Edo State as our way to repay him,” he declared.
Governor Okpebholo recalled the obstacles President Tinubu overcame to emerge victorious in the 2023 presidential election.
“They seized the economy, the fuel, and everything to frustrate him, but he won. That’s the mark of a true leader with a big heart for Nigeria,” he stated.
