A former National Legal Adviser of the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), Chukwudi Ezeobika, has projected that President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) will struggle to gain support from the South East, South-South, and other regions in the 2027 general elections.
Ezeobika attributes this to what he describes as the current administration’s political intolerance, bigotry, and parochialism. He argues that Tinubu, who became president under a cloud of controversy and unresolved moral questions surrounding the electoral process overseen by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has continued the divisive governance style of his predecessor.
In a statement released on Sunday, Ezeobika stated that the president’s actions demonstrate that political intolerance and exclusion have become entrenched as core policies of the APC. He criticized Tinubu for marginalizing several ethnic groups in federal appointments, arguing that this approach fosters division and discontent across the country.
Furthermore, Ezeobika pointed to the government’s failure to address the prolonged unrest in the South East, particularly the continued detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, despite calls from prominent stakeholders for his release. According to him, this reluctance undermines any hope of political support for Tinubu in the region.
“The president has failed to recognize that such inaction diminishes his chances of securing political backing from the South East and South-South. His defeat in these regions will be overwhelming as the people will go to great lengths to defend their votes,” Ezeobika asserted.
He further criticized the APC-led government for inflicting economic hardship, enabling avoidable deaths, and stifling economic progress, making Tinubu unelectable in the upcoming election. He also accused the administration of failing to address extrajudicial killings and the unlawful detention of youths by security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS), in violation of constitutional provisions on human rights.
Ezeobika emphasized that many young Nigerians remain imprisoned without trial, a direct breach of Sections 34, 35, 36, and 41 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees fundamental rights, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
He concluded that Tinubu’s leadership style and governance choices have alienated key regions, making his re-election bid an uphill battle.
