The Anambra State chapter of Nigeria’s governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027, pledging to consolidate party unity and expand support in the country’s Southeast geopolitical zone.
The endorsement was announced on Tuesday at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Awka, the Anambra State capital, where party leaders unanimously adopted Tinubu as their sole presidential candidate for the next general election.
State APC Chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike, described the decision as a vote of confidence in the president’s reform agenda and what he called the administration’s “bold and necessary” policy direction. He said continuity was essential to sustaining economic and governance reforms already underway.
“I move the motion that we, Anambra APC, adopt President Bola Tinubu as our presidential candidate in 2027,” Ejidike declared, drawing unanimous approval from party stakeholders.
Strategic Outreach in a Non-Traditional Stronghold
Anambra, in Nigeria’s Southeast, has traditionally not been a stronghold of the APC. The state is governed by Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), a regional party with deep roots in the area.
In a notable political signal, Ejidike disclosed that the APC in Anambra is working in cooperation with APGA to secure overwhelming support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“We are working with the ruling APGA to ensure we deliver up to 95 per cent of Anambra votes to the APC and President Bola Tinubu in 2027,” he said.
While formal coalitions remain rare in Nigeria’s competitive multiparty system, the overture suggests an effort by the APC to broaden its appeal in the Southeast ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
Unity Drive Ahead of Party Congresses
The endorsement comes as the Anambra APC prepares for ward and local government congresses across the state’s 326 electoral wards , an internal process aimed at strengthening grassroots structures before the next election cycle.
Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, the party’s candidate in the November 8, 2025 governorship election, and his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, used the occasion to call for discipline and unity within party ranks.
Ukachukwu warned that internal divisions and personal ambitions could undermine the party’s prospects.
“We joined the APC not to cause confusion or displace those who built the party, but to strengthen it,” he said, urging members to avoid anti-party activities and to place collective success above individual aspirations.
He emphasised that while he was not interested in who emerged as ward or local government officers, the party would not tolerate the emergence of individuals who had previously worked against its interests.
Senator Ekwunife, who chaired a Congresses Harmonisation Committee set up earlier this year, outlined measures intended to ensure rancour-free internal elections and greater accountability in party administration.
She said the party’s National Working Committee had directed state chapters to maintain stable executive structures as preparations intensify for 2027.
She also stressed that recent returnees to the party would not immediately qualify for leadership positions, a move aimed at discouraging opportunistic defections and reinforcing internal discipline.
Rebuilding After Governorship Contest
The stakeholders’ meeting described by participants as the largest since the 2025 governorship election, was widely seen as an attempt to reset and consolidate the party after coming second in the state poll.
Several senior party figures, including Senator Emmanuel Anosike and state legislator Paul Uba, spoke in favour of Tinubu’s endorsement and called for transparency in party finances and operations to rebuild confidence among members.
Ejidike characterised the moment as critical for the state chapter.
“No political strategy, no matter how transparent, can succeed in an atmosphere of division,” he said. “Our foremost responsibility is unity.”
With more than a year before Nigeria’s next presidential vote, the Anambra APC’s early endorsement of Tinubu , coupled with overtures toward cross-party collaboration, signals a calculated effort to strengthen the ruling party’s foothold in a region where it has historically faced stiff competition.