Rejects Uzodimma’s claim of South-East support for Tinubu
By Steve Oko
UMUAHIA — The South-East chapter of the Kwankwaso National Network (KNN) has said it is mobilising support to deliver at least five million votes for a proposed Peter Obi–Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential ticket in the 2027 general elections.
The group also rejected claims that South-East governors had endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election, insisting that only the electorate would determine the region’s voting pattern.
Addressing journalists in Umuahia on Thursday, the South-East Zonal Coordinator of KNN, Dr. Ukpai Iro Ukpai, said the organisation had put in place strategies aimed at mobilising one million votes from each of the five South-East states.
“Working with our strategic partners, the KNN is fully committed to delivering at least five million votes for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket from the South-East in 2027. Our goal is to mobilise at least one million votes from each of the five South-East states,” he said.
Ukpai, who read a statement jointly signed by the South-East Zonal Secretary, Hon. Karl Ifeanyichukwu Obinta, said the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which recorded 830,774 new voters in the South-East, had strengthened the group’s confidence that the region would play a significant role in the 2027 presidential election.
The group commended Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for reportedly accepting a joint ticket with Obi, describing the move as a sacrifice made in the national interest.
According to KNN, the proposed alliance would unite two major political movements and provide Nigerians with a strong alternative platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
It described the proposed ticket as a “National Healing Ticket,” saying it was aimed at promoting national unity beyond ethnic and religious considerations.
On election integrity, the group said it would work to ensure that votes cast in the South-East were protected.
“We have put in place robust mechanisms to safeguard the votes of the people in the South-East. The technical glitches witnessed during the 2023 elections must not recur in 2027. Votes must count,” the statement said.
KNN also dismissed recent remarks credited to Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma suggesting that South-East governors had agreed to support President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
According to the group, governors do not have the mandate to determine the political choices of the people.
“Governors cannot unilaterally determine the political choice of the South-East. The people—not elected officials—will decide their preferred candidates at the polls,” it stated.
The group acknowledged the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) but argued that similar regional development commissions had also been created for other geopolitical zones.
It also called for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
KNN further criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government over the country’s economic and security challenges, alleging that rising hardship and insecurity would influence voters’ decisions in the 2027 elections.
The organisation expressed confidence that an Obi–Kwankwaso administration, if it emerges, would provide leadership capable of addressing Nigeria’s economic and governance challenges.
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