A former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress.

Sylva also criticised the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, saying it had disappointed the majority of Nigerians and expressing confidence that the electorate would vote for a change in the 2027 general elections.

In a resignation letter dated August 31, 2026, obtained by our correspondent, Sylva said he could no longer remain in a party whose leaders had allegedly embraced the philosophy that “all is fair in politics.”

The letter, addressed to the APC Chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, was electronically delivered.

Copies were sent to the National Chairman of the APC, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Chairman of the APC in Bayelsa State.

Sylva, who described himself as a founding member of the APC, said he decided to quit the party after consulting widely with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.

The letter partly read, “Having consulted widely with my family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers, I wish to formally tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), with immediate effect.

“As a founding member of the APC, and one who joined other well-meaning Nigerians in building the party with sweat and money, it is deeply saddening to witness how the ideals we espoused have been so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.

“Moreover, I cannot, in all good conscience, continue to belong to a party whose leaders believe that ‘all is fair in politics;’ and have consistently demonstrated that belief in practice.

“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it. Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration.”

The former minister said the APC-led government had disappointed Nigerians, adding that he could see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of revamping the administration.  “The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians. And I can see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a revamp,” he said.

Sylva added that he was left with no choice but to abandon what he described as a “floundering ship.” “I am therefore left with no other choice than to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities. I have no doubt that, in the coming election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free the Country from this stranglehold on our beautiful country,” he stated.

Speaking further, Sylva said he deliberately copied the EFCC in the resignation letter.

He acknowledged that his resignation could trigger further scrutiny by the anti-graft agency but said he was prepared to face the consequences.

“I am fully aware that this action of mine may invite a redoubled witch-hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take,” he said.

Sylva’s resignation comes amid his reported links to an alleged plot to overthrow the Tinubu-ledadministration. The former Bayelsa governor was named by the Federal Government as a suspect in the case involving an alleged coup plot uncovered in 2025. Sylva has consistently denied involvement in the plot and described allegations against him as false. The alleged plot led to the arrest and prosecution of several military and civilian suspects. In April 2026, six defendants were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges including treason, terrorism and money laundering, while Sylva was among those named in connection with the wider investigation.

Reports published in August 2026 subsequently alleged that Sylva was linked to the financing of the purported coup plot. It was reported that investigation records implicated him and that several people associated with him were facing charges over the alleged scheme. Sylva, however, has denied the allegations and was reported to be outside Nigeria. The allegations had earlier triggered a military operation at Sylva’s Abuja residence in October 2025. He confirmed that soldiers from Defence Headquarters raided the property but rejected any suggestion that he was involved in a plot to overthrow the government, describing the operation as unjustified.

The story of Okigwe Zone is one of considerable potential alongside persistent developmental challenges. The zone has produced accomplished professionals, entrepreneurs, academics and public figures, yet questions continue to be raised about its visibility, influence and ability to attract sustained development.

Against this background, the emergence of Attorney Charles Onyirimba as a senatorial contender provides an opportunity to examine a fundamental question: what kind of representative does a zone in search of renewed relevance require?

Onyirimba’s candidacy is particularly interesting because his background extends beyond conventional local political structures. His training in political science, journalism and law, professional experience in the United States, community leadership and involvement in Diaspora affairs give him exposure to institutions and systems beyond the traditional Nigerian political environment.

That background forms an important part of the argument advanced by his supporters: that representation can be approached as a professional responsibility rather than simply as political occupation.

A DIFFERENT POLITICAL PROFILE

The phrase “not the usual politician” should not be understood merely as campaign language. It can be tested against a candidate’s record, experience and approach.

Onyirimba has spent significant portions of his professional and community life outside conventional Nigerian political structures. His legal career exposed him to government processes and regulatory institutions, while his involvement with Igbo organisations in the Diaspora placed him in leadership situations requiring negotiation, organisation and relationship-building.

Of course, such experiences do not automatically guarantee effective representation; elections ultimately require accountability for actual performance. However, they provide a basis for asking whether a candidate possesses skills that could be relevant to legislative and constituency work.

The distinction is important.

A senator requires political understanding, but also needs the ability to analyse policy, negotiate with institutions, communicate effectively, build relationships and pursue constituency interests. These are competencies that can be developed through professional and civic experience as much as through traditional party politics.

FROM REPRESENTATION TO REPOSITIONING

The larger question surrounding Onyirimba’s candidacy is, therefore, not simply whether he can represent Okigwe, but whether he can help reposition it.

For years, development discussions about the zone have frequently centred on roads, infrastructure, employment, education, healthcare and economic opportunities. These remain important. But there is another dimension: strategic relevance.

A constituency can have enormous resources and still remain under-connected to centres of power and opportunity.

Repositioning Okigwe would require building stronger relationships with federal institutions, private investors, development organisations, professional networks and the Diaspora. It would require identifying opportunities and developing mechanisms for connecting communities and individuals to them.

This is an area where Onyirimba’s international exposure could potentially become relevant.

His understanding of Diaspora networks and international environments could help expand the conversation beyond conventional constituency politics.

Besides, Onyirimba has the capacitor to surmount the challenge of converting relationships into measurable outcomes.

THE VALUE OF LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE

There is another important consideration.

A senator’s primary constitutional responsibilities include legislation and oversight. Constituency projects are visible, but they represent only one part of the office.

A capable senator must understand legislation, scrutinise government policies, participate meaningfully in committees and advocate for policies that affect the constituency and the wider country.

Onyirimba’s legal background could potentially be useful in this regard. Legal training does not automatically make someone an effective legislator, just as political experience does not automatically make someone a good lawmaker. What matters is how knowledge is applied.

For Okigwe, the relevant question is. therefore. whether Onyirimba can combine his legal and professional background with the political skills required to function effectively within the National Assembly.

THE DEVELOPMENT QUESTION

The real measure of any political proposition remains development.

Okigwe cannot be transformed by rhetoric alone. Roads must function. The people can no longer be transporting their dead on motorbikes that cannot even plod though impassable roads. Young people need opportunities. Businesses require enabling conditions. Artisans need electricity to work indtead of waiting enflessly for Gordot. Farmers need access to markets. Communities require infrastructure. Education and healthcare require sustained attention.

A candidate promising transformation, therefore, needs more than a compelling biography.

There must be an identifiable pathway between capacity and outcomes.

In Onyirimba’s case, that pathway would presumably involve using legislative influence, constituency advocacy, government connections, private-sector relationships and Diaspora networks to expand opportunities available to the zone.

This is potentially where his unconventional background becomes an advantage.

WHY THE “USUAL POLITICIAN” QUESTION MATTERS

Political systems often reproduce familiar patterns. Candidates emerge from established networks, campaign around personalities, mobilise supporters during election seasons and then settle into conventional patterns of representation.

The argument surrounding Onyirimba is that Okigwe will need something different.

But for him, “different” mean more than appearance or a campaign description

It means a different approach to constituency engagement, a different understanding of development, a stronger emphasis on measurable outcomes and a willingness to use professional expertise and networks in public service.

That approach is what Onyirimba will ultimately deliver. So, the distinction between him and conventional political actors is meaningful.

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

The metaphor of moving from darkness to light captures the larger aspiration surrounding Okigwe’s political future.

Darkness represents stagnation, weak visibility, missed opportunities and the frustration of a people who believe their potential has not been sufficiently realised.

Light represents possibility: stronger representation, greater visibility, economic opportunity, institutional connections and renewed confidence.

Onyirimba’s candidacy can therefore be examined as a proposition for achieving that transition.

His education provides one dimension. His legal training provides another. His professional experience, international exposure, community leadership and political involvement add further dimensions. Together, these attributes suggest a candidate with a profile that differs in important respects from the conventional political template.

But ultimately, capacity must meet responsibility.

The transformation of Okigwe cannot rest on one individual alone. It requires communities, professionals, businesses, young people, women, traditional institutions, government agencies and the Diaspora to participate in a shared development project.

The senator can provide advocacy, access and leadership. The zone must provide collective commitment.

The enduring question, therefore, is not simply “Can Onyirimba change Okigwe?”

It is whether his particular combination of skills, experience and networks can be organised into an effective model of representation capable of helping Okigwe move from persistent developmental frustration toward greater relevance and opportunity.

That is the proposition his candidacy places before the zone, and one that can ultimately be judged not by slogans, but by capacity, plans, accountability and results.

The good news is that Attorney Charles Onyirimba is equipped with the vision, experience, capacity and courage required to take Okigwe Zone on a new trajectory, away from years of stagnation and toward the light of purposeful representation, development and opportunity.

But the power to change this story rests squarely with Ndi Okigwe. The choice is theirs: embrace a new direction with a leader prepared to challenge the forces that have held the zone back, or continue along the familiar dark alleys of disappointment while other senatorial zones surge ahead.

Okigwe cannot afford another cycle of missed opportunities. The time has come to break from the past, demand more from leadership and choose a representative who sees public office not as a prize to be won, but as a responsibility to be honoured.

The light is within reach. The question is: will Ndi Okigwe choose to walk toward it? ** I pray so.

…Pro-Tinubu group seeks Igbo leaders’ intervention,

…Proposes political alliance with Southeast ahead of 2027 presidential poll.

By Our Correspondent

The political temperature ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election has risen another notch as a support group backing President Bola Tinubu says it is preparing to engage prominent Igbo leaders in an effort to persuade former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to step down from the presidential contest and support Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The Southeast chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) disclosed the plan following a meeting focused on strengthening President Tinubu’s support base across the five Southeast states.

The group said it intends to approach the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, as well as respected elder statesmen including Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, with a request that they intervene and appeal directly to Obi.

According to the Southeast leader of RHGN, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, the proposed engagement is not designed to undermine Obi’s political influence or question his ambition. Rather, he said, the objective is to encourage the former governor to consider what he described as the long-term strategic interests of the Southeast.

Ngoforo argued that the 2027 presidential contest should not be viewed simply as a battle between individual politicians, but as an opportunity for the Southeast to negotiate a broader political arrangement that could improve its chances of producing Nigeria’s president in the future.

The group’s argument is built around the possibility of a political understanding between the Southeast and Southwest.

Ngoforo said the Southeast could consider supporting the Southwest in the 2027 election while simultaneously building a political alliance that could yield reciprocal support when the presidency becomes available to the region in the future.

He pointed to the constitutional limitation on presidential tenure, arguing that President Tinubu, if re-elected, would have only one additional term after 2027.

For the RHGN leadership, this creates an opportunity for what it described as a long-term political compact between regions.

Rather than concentrating solely on who wins or loses the 2027 election, the group wants the Southeast to consider the potential political dividends that could emerge from building strategic relationships with other parts of the co

One of the central arguments being advanced by the Tinubu support group is that Obi’s decision to withdraw from the 2027 race would not necessarily mean the end of his presidential ambition.

Ngoforo reportedly described the proposed move as a postponement rather than an abandonment of Obi’s political aspirations.

The group believes that stepping aside in 2027 could allow Obi and his supporters to build a broader political arrangement capable of strengthening the Southeast’s bargaining position in subsequent presidential contests.

The proposal, however, remains an appeal from a pro-Tinubu political group. There is no indication that Obi has agreed to withdraw his candidacy or support Tinubu.

The planned approach to Ohanaeze Ndigbo and respected Igbo elder statesmen reflects the group’s belief that influential voices within the Southeast could help shape the political direction of the region.

The RHGN wants the elders to consider the wider political implications of the 2027 election and, if persuaded by its argument, lead a delegation to Obi.

The proposed intervention could potentially open a fresh conversation within the Southeast over whether the region should pursue an immediate presidential bid or negotiate a political alliance aimed at securing stronger prospects in the future.

With the 2027 presidential election approaching, the emerging proposal adds another layer to what is expected to be a highly competitive political contest.

Obi remains a major political figure with significant support, particularly among young Nigerians and voters who backed his presidential campaign in the previous election.

Any attempt to persuade him to withdraw would therefore represent a significant political undertaking.

For the Tinubu support group, however, the focus is on convincing Southeast stakeholders that strategic alliances could produce longer-term political benefits.

The group is expected to make its case to Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the elder statesmen before any possible engagement with Obi.

Whether the proposal will gain traction remains uncertain.

The idea of asking a major presidential contender to step aside is politically sensitive, particularly in a country where regional interests, party calculations and individual political ambitions often intersect.

For supporters of Obi, the 2027 election could be seen as another opportunity to pursue the presidency, while the Tinubu camp and its allies are seeking to consolidate support for the incumbent.

The proposed intervention by RHGN could therefore trigger wider discussions across the Southeast about political strategy, regional bargaining power and the future of the presidency.

For now, the message from the Tinubu support group is clear: it wants respected Igbo leaders to intervene, speak with Obi and persuade him that postponing his presidential ambition could ultimately serve the broader interests of the Southeast.

As the 2027 political season gathers momentum, the proposed meeting could become one of the early tests of whether regional political alliances can overcome individual ambitions in the race for Nigeria’s highest office.

The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation (IHIF), has rejected moves by the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), a campaign group supporting President Bola Tinubu, to persuade former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.

RHGN, through its Deputy National Leader (South-East), Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, had announced plans to meet Igbo leaders, including Ohanaeze Ndigbo and former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, to persuade Obi to support Tinubu’s bid to complete eight years in office.

However, in a statement yesterday, the National Coordinator of IHIF, Chinedu Nsofor, urged the group to allow Obi to exercise his constitutional right to contest the election.

IHIF, which is campaigning for a president of Igbo extraction in 2027, has adopted Obi as its preferred candidate for the election.

Nsofor challenged RHGN to instead mobilise support for the Igbo presidency project and prevail on Tinubu to step down for Obi in the 2027 election, saying such a move would promote equity, justice and fairness.

He said Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their preferred candidate at the polls.

“In any civilised clime, conscience based on equity, fairness and justice supremely prevails in all dealings. This fairness, equity and justice guarantee unity, peace, progress and national cohesion, particularly in a country like Nigeria where cultural and tribal diversities are highly pronounced,” Nsofor said.

He, argued that the Igbo’s had made significant sacrifices for Nigeria’s unity and deserved an opportunity to produce the president.

According to him, the rotation of the presidency since 1999 had largely favoured the North and South-West.

Nsofor noted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba, served for eight years, while former Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, both from the North, served a combined 11 years.

He added that former President Goodluck Jonathan, from the South-South, served for five years.

“After Buhari’s tenure in May 2023, every right-thinking Nigerian expected that it was to be the turn of the Igbo to produce the successor to Buhari. But that was not to be,” he said.

Nsofor further argued that the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani had dominated the presidency over the years, while the Igbo had not had a sustained opportunity to lead the country since independence.

He said the Igbo had only occupied the presidency for about six months on an interim basis, while the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani had each produced presidents for considerably longer periods.

The IHIF coordinator also questioned the application of the federal character principle, asking whether an Igbo jurist had ever been appointed Chief Justice of Nigeria despite the contributions of eminent Igbo jurists.

Nsofor, however, urged Nigerians to prioritise competence over ethnicity and religion when choosing their leaders in 2027.

“Let us avoid electing a leader that does not know the balance of ninety-seven percent removed from hundred percent… University graduates should be preferred to school certificate holders for presidential candidate; not graduates without certificates,” he said.

He said the 2027 election presented an opportunity to change the pattern of political leadership in the country.

“Doing one thing in the same way every time will not give a different result. Let us shift this national leadership base to this untried tribe — the Igbo tribe — and see what happens.

“The forthcoming 2027 presidential election is the golden opportunity to explore this governmental leadership revolutionary change,” he stated.

Obedient Movement in Ebonyi State has collapsed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Bob Uchenna Agbeze, the Director General of Anyi Ga Emeya Youth Movement, a support group of the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, made the  disclosure. He noted that the group examined all the governorship candidates of various political parties in the state and endorsed Odii because of his track records.

He  alleged that the present administration in the state has not addressed the problems of the people

“We have taken notes of all the candidates, we have taken notes of all their antecedents from the day they were born. We have taken notes of all their networks, their business records, and all they have done, and we are saying, today, we are endorsing Chief Ifeanyi Odii.

“There is only one statement in the present administration that I cannot factor into equation. That statement is, you still have about eight months into the election and you are still telling people “forgive my shortcomings and vote me again”.

“Certainly, the trajectory for good governance doesn’t take eight months. To reverse the trajectory doesn’t take 24 hours.

It is about going to your bedroom, praying God to give you and you come back to tell yourself, no, I have done this wrong. I will do it right, and it doesn’t take 24 hours to implement policies that the people will see.

“The people of Ebonyi State don’t want you to give them money individually, they want you to give them a trajectory, developmental achievement. Even if you don’t achieve all, but let them see you moving.

“By your trajectory, they will now say, okay, even if your two years, three years were not something to write home about, but we are seeing the way you are going now, we are seeing if right”, he stated.

Agbaeze said Odii will tackle the development challenges confronting the state when elected.

The Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, EBSIEC, has dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP’s protest against the August 22 local government elections in the state, insisting that the party was given adequate opportunity to participate in the electoral process.

The commission also rejected the PDP’s reported threat to seek legal redress, maintaining that the election was conducted in line with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions.

The Commissioner and Chairman of EBSIEC’s Information, Voter Education and Publicity Committee, Collins Agbo, made the assertions while addressing journalists after the conclusion of the council elections across Ebonyi State.

Agbo said EBSIEC would not engage in a war of words with any faction of the PDP, but stressed that the commission followed its approved timetable and complied with the legal requirements guiding local government elections.

The Presidency has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 election will be adjusted where necessary, but denied that the list has been withdrawn or subjected to a wholesale review

Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, made this known yesterday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

Dare was responding to reports that the APC had withdrawn the list following controversy over the inclusion and exclusion of some party leaders and other political figures.

He said the list remained valid, stressing that the party was yet to constitute all the subcommittees that would make up the campaign structure.

“As it is with every other list, there’s a room for subcommittees. Those subcommittees have not been formed, and so many other names will come into that subcommittee,” Dare said.

“So that list has not been withdrawn. The APC has issued a statement to that effect yesterday, that list stands. But of course, there will be adjustments. The list is not cast in stone, just like every other list.”

The APC had on Tuesday rejected reports that its 2027 presidential campaign council list had been withdrawn.

The list, announced over the weekend, named President Tinubu as chairman of the council, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as vice chairmen.

Former Zamfara State Governor and Senator, Abdul’aziz Yari, was named Director-General, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma was designated secretary.

Asked whether the list was therefore open to review, Dare avoided the term “review”, describing the expected changes instead as adjustments.

“Not a review, just adjustments where necessary,” he said.

When pressed on whether his reluctance to use the word “review” meant the list was indeed being reconsidered, the presidential aide maintained that the expected changes did not amount to a comprehensive overhaul

“Review is wholesale, this is not wholesale,” Dare said.

He explained that the creation of additional subcommittees would provide room for more party members and political stakeholders to participate in the campaign structure.

As the 2027 general elections gather momentum, the APC National Vice Chairman of South East, Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, has charged the APC LGA chairmen to judiciously use the vehicles freely donated to them by the APC and the Governor to mobilize, as well as campaign for the party at the nooks and crannies of Imo State.

He said a holistic and conscientious campaigns at the grassroots would further highlight, as well as remind the people of the rich and good works the APC and the 3R administration had put in place in Imo State, including other parts of South East, to enable the party’s full and solid support by the voters for overwhelming victory in the polls.

Arodiogbu gave the charge while addressing  APC members during the official handover of brand new Campaign Buses to the leaders of the party, last Saturday, at Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Center (EIICC), Owerri, by Governor Hope Uzodimma.

He said the APC cannot tolerate any pretence, excuse or anti party activity, but hard work, commitment and delivery, saying to whom much is given much is expected.

Without mincing words, Arodiogbu had called on all members of the party to work on one page, to ensure that all the party’s candidates emerge victoriously in the election to evenly consolidate democratic  governance in the collective interests of the people, state, region and the country at large.

While describing Governor Hope Uzodimma as a visionary politician, who he said is a democratic leader, Arodiogbu added that the good works recorded so far by the Governor would earn him the Orlu Zone Senate in 2027, appealing to the people of Orlu Zone to continue to support him and vote for him during the election.

“Words are not  enough to roll out the accolades our Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has earned due largely to the numerous quality and nice things he has achieved since he became the Executive Governor of Imo State.

“Our Governor is a man of Grace and everything he touches becomes successful. I adore him for his fairness, kindness, visionary and democratic leadership. His pragmatism and patriotism are very endearing.

“I thank him very much for providing the vehicles. The Buses are purely to donated to roundly mobilize and campaign for the party. Hence I charge all the APC LGA chairmen to use those vehicles very judiciously for State Assembly, Reps, Senate and Presidential Campaigns of the party to ensure our victory at the poll in 2027”, the patriotic son of Arondizuogu, Ideato North said.

Identifying the Governor as a man of grace, values, who engineers the existence and solidity of APC in the South East, Arodiogbu lauded him for being a good party man who runs an open door governance.

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has said President Bola Tinubu has performed better than Olusegun Obasanjo and every other democratically elected president in Nigeria’s history.

Morka made the claim on Monday during an interview on Channels Television while defending the performance of the Tinubu administration and its economic policies.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has outperformed any president in his first term. He has outperformed any democratically elected president in this country in their terms,” Morka said.

Asked to identify the indicators supporting the claim, the APC spokesperson said the state of the economy provided evidence of the administration’s performance.

“The indicators are res ipsa loquitur as we say in law; they speak for themselves. This president inherited an economy that was completely in a mess,” he said.

Morka attributed the economic difficulties inherited by Tinubu to what he described as failures of previous administrations, particularly the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level.

He also defended the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who succeeded the PDP government in 2015, saying Buhari’s tenure helped stabilise the country before Tinubu assumed office.

“Buhari was a stopgap president that really came to keep the country from tipping over the precipice — from 16 years of horrific maladministration of the PDP government,” Morka said.

“President Buhari served his term, did his job to hold the country still for President Tinubu to enter.”

The APC spokesman further argued that the reforms introduced by Tinubu had helped move the country away from what he described as severe economic difficulties, particularly at the macroeconomic level.

Morka said the effects of the reforms were becoming increasingly evident, including among some critics of the administration.

He maintained that Nigeria had “come out of the woods” at the macroeconomic level as a result of policies implemented by the Tinubu administration.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has attributed the inability of opposition parties to agree on a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections to personal ambitions among political leaders.

Amaechi expressed regret that opposition politicians had been unable to reach a consensus despite calls for a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former Minister of Transportation spoke on Monday during a panel session at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said the coalition effort remained difficult because many of the politicians involved were unwilling to put aside their individual ambitions.

“Coalition as it is today is difficult to achieve. If it is possible, I am sure that Vice President Atiku Abubakar would be willing to participate.

“But the difficulty in it is that everybody has ambition. Nobody wants to give up. There are very few politicians who are in love with Nigeria. What the politicians are doing is to just come in and milk the country dry,” Amaechi said.

He, however, defended his record in public office, saying that projects initiated and completed by his administration when he served as governor of Rivers State remained visible across the state.

Speaking ahead of the 2027 elections, Amaechi urged Nigerians to reject ethnic considerations and assess political candidates based on their performance, competence and acceptability.

“A coalition should be based on performance. Assess us by our last performance and choose; don’t just vote because you are from Ikwerre or Omoku and choose your candidate,” he said.

Amaechi described the ADC, as a fresh political option and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.

“ADC provides a different kind of leadership completely. If we can’t perform, don’t vote for us,” the former Rivers State governor told the gathering.

The lawmaker representing Ikeduru state constituency in Imo State House of Assembly, Hon Chief Johnleoba Iheoha has expressed immense joy over the emergence of the state governor, Senator Dr Hope Uzodimma, CON, GSGI, GSSRS as Secretary-general of APC 2027 Presidential Election Campaign Council.
In an encounter with news men in Owerri, Hon Johnleoba Iheoha boldly asserted that the appointment of Hope Uzodimma as the Chief Scribe of APC 2027 Presidential Election Campaign Council is not just another national honour but also, a strong confirmation that the Imo state Chief Executive and chairman of Nigeria’s Progressive Governors’ Forum is a competent, reliable and deep-rooted administrator of human and material resources and indeed, true commander of political forces nationwide.
Hon Iheoha expressed strong belief that with Hope Uzodimma as secretary-general and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR as the president of the council, the ruling party, APC would score landslide victory in the 2027 presidential election.
Johnleoba Iheoha therefore, charged all Ikeduru constituents and entire Imo people to join hands with Governor Hope Uzodimma to enable him deliver 100% result to APC in this new appointment which he described as a great honour to Ndigbo in general.