By Ono Yima
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will receive over 70 percent of the votes from the South East region in the 2027 general elections, citing the President’s commitment to the development of Igbo land.
Speaking on the political realignment of the region, Kalu stated, “We are promising the President, 70 to 80 percent of votes from Igboland. Let us continue to remain as people that love peace and unity.”
The Deputy Speaker recalled the unfulfilled promise made during the regime of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, to rebuild, rehabilitate, and reintegrate the people of the South East following the civil war that ended in 1970. The war led to the deaths of over 3 million people, yet decades passed without the realization of the post-war pledge.
According to Kalu, President Tinubu has broken this cycle of neglect by initiating and funding the South East Development Commission (SEDC). He emphasized Tinubu’s historic role in signing the SEDC bill into law, a gesture he believes speaks volumes about the President’s love for the Igbo people.
“No other President has remembered the promise made to Igbo people after the war like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Kalu said. “Fifty years came and passed, administrations came and passed, none of them deemed it right to fulfill those promises made to Ndi Igbo and only President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took it upon himself and said, there must be a platform to respond to those proposals made to Ndi Igbo. And he chose South East Development Commission which no other President accepted to sign.”
Kalu stressed the importance of the SEDC in enhancing rural development in the region, stating, “He answered to our problem to enable us develop the rural communities in Igboland. He signed the SEDC bill into law and has funded it even when naysayers said he won’t. He loves Ndi Igbo and we Igbos remember those who love us.” The Deputy Speaker’s statements appear to be a signal of growing political alignment between the South East and the Tinubu administration ahead of the 2027 elections. If realized, such support could mark a significant shift in voting patterns in a region historically skeptical of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC).