Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure over 70 percent of the votes from the South East in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on the heels of the recently signed South East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill, Kalu described Tinubu as the only Nigerian president who has taken concrete steps to fulfill the long-abandoned promises made to the Igbo people after the civil war.
“No other president has remembered the promise made to Ndi Igbo after the war like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Kalu said.
He recalled the unfulfilled pledge by the General Yakubu Gowon-led administration to rebuild, rehabilitate, and reintegrate the South East following the end of the Biafran War in 1970 — a conflict that claimed over three million lives.
“For over fifty years, successive administrations failed to honour that promise,” he said. “But President Tinubu, against all odds, took it upon himself to respond to the historic needs of Ndi Igbo by establishing the South East Development Commission.”
Kalu noted that beyond signing the bill into law, Tinubu has backed it with funding — a move he said demonstrates the president’s genuine love for the South East.
“He has empowered us to develop our rural communities. Tinubu’s action is a symbol of unity, reconciliation, and forward-thinking leadership,” Kalu stated.
In return, the Deputy Speaker said the Igbo people would not forget such a gesture and assured that the region is ready to reward Tinubu at the polls in 2027.
“We are promising the President 70 to 80 percent of votes from Igboland. Let us continue to remain a people that promote peace and unity,” he added.
Kalu’s remarks reflect a growing alignment between the South East and the Tinubu administration, marking a possible shift in political alliances ahead of the next general elections.
