Former Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, has thrown his weight behind last weekend’s endorsement of Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office by South-East governors and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that the President has performed well in office.
Chime, who said he was part of the endorsement ab initio, expressed confidence that Tinubu and the APC would sweep the polls in the South East in the 2027 general election.
The former governor spoke in Udi on Tuesday during the flag-off of the APC electronic membership registration exercise in Enugu West Senatorial District, noting that critics of the move in the region would soon “see the light and embrace reality.”
“I am part of the South East. So, you can take it for granted that I was part of that endorsement. That is our decision and we all stand by it. It is easily achievable,” Chime said.
The former governor defended the Tinubu administration, insisting that current economic challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria.
“The President has done well. I believe he has done well. Whatever is happening in Nigeria is global and certainly in Africa. It is all over the place. He is doing well, given the circumstances,” he stated.
Chime added that he would speak more extensively on the 2027 elections when campaigns formally commence.
“Elections are coming up next year. He will do well. When the time for campaign comes, we will talk,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction with what he described as growing acceptance of the APC in the South East, particularly in Enugu State, Chime said his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2015 elections had been vindicated.
“We are here first of all to thank our people. You can see how excited people are to join the APC. APC is now the only party available in Enugu State,” he declared.
“Ten years ago, when I joined the APC, we saw tomorrow. We knew PDP was going down. It is now obvious that APC is the only party available.”
He expressed confidence that Enugu State would exceed the two-million membership target set for the ongoing APC e-registration exercise.
“So, the two-million mark, to me, is just there. We are going beyond that in Enugu State,” Chime said.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Hyginus Agu, alongside chairmen of Aninri, Awgu, Ezeagu and Oji River LGAs, pledged to mobilise aggressively across wards to surpass the two-million membership benchmark.
“The truth is that our governor has done so well. We have multiple projects in every political ward to brag about. The people are happy,” Agu said.
He added that residents were fully aligned with the political direction of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, insisting that the people stood solidly with him and President Tinubu.
It will be recalled that Governors Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Francis Nwifuru, alongside Governor Mbah and other APC leaders in the South East, at the weekend adopted Tinubu as their sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.