Abuja, Nigeria – October 9, 2025 – Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu has pledged an all-out effort to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in Abia State and the Southeast during the 2027 general elections, vowing to “campaign day and night” for five months straight in his senatorial district. The Abia North senator’s bold commitment, made during a Channels Television interview on October 8, underscores his confidence in flipping the region for the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite its poor showing there in 2023.
The Vow and Regional Strategy
Kalu, a former Abia governor and APC stalwart, attributed his optimism to direct interactions with constituents, dismissing the party’s 2023 Southeast performance as “immaterial” and a result of his own divided focus at the time. “In 2023, I didn’t put in all my best, but in 2027, I will live there for 5 months, campaigning day and night—it will deliver Abia for Tinubu and APC,” he declared. He predicted Tinubu would win Abia for the first time, crediting the president’s economic reforms—like fuel subsidy removal and naira unification—for building grassroots support.
This isn’t Kalu’s first endorsement; in April 2025, he hosted an Abia APC stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, urging unity and reconciliation to prevent Tinubu from “losing Abia again.” He emphasized forgiving past offenses within the party, stating, “If I have offended anyone, please forgive me. Let’s make this party stronger.” Kalu also affirmed his loyalty to Tinubu despite acknowledging the Igbo’s need for the presidency, noting he is “caged” by his APC commitment to renominate the incumbent.
Tinubu’s Southeast Appeal and Opposition Dismissal
Kalu doubled down on Tinubu’s invincibility, asserting that opposition heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and even former President Goodluck Jonathan “cannot defeat Tinubu in 2027.” He warned Jonathan against running, citing constitutional limits, and praised Tinubu’s “tough decisions” for stabilizing the economy, even as challenges like inflation persist. In May 2025, Kalu highlighted endorsements from Southeast APC governors like Hope Uzodimma, calling them the “national endorsement’s true start.”
Kalu rejected accusations of deceiving Tinubu, saying, “I don’t need anything from him to deceive him,” and positioned himself as a bridge-builder for APC’s regional expansion.
Public and Political Echoes
The interview has trended on X under #KaluForTinubu, with APC supporters lauding his “unwavering loyalty” and memes joking about his “five-month camping trip” in Abia. Critics, including Obi allies, dismissed it as “empty bravado,” pointing to APC’s 2023 Southeast rout where Tinubu garnered under 10% of votes. Analysts see Kalu’s strategy as key to APC’s Southeast breakthrough, amid calls for infrastructure investments to sway voters.
As 2027 approaches, Kalu’s pledge signals intensified APC mobilization in a region long dominated by opposition parties, potentially reshaping Nigeria’s electoral map.