By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Delta State, Chief Victor Ogba, has urged the South-South to rally behind President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, citing reforms and infrastructure projects that he said have directly benefited the region.

Briefing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Ogba, who also serves as President of the Movement for National Transformation (MNT), commended Tinubu for what he described as bold economic reforms and massive infrastructural investments, particularly the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.

“Tinubu has tackled issues that many of his predecessors lacked the courage to tackle. Major among them is the fuel subsidy which was a fiscal sinkhole, and the Central Bank’s mismanagement under the previous administration that fuelled capital flight and currency speculation,” Ogba said.

He explained that the unification of the country’s multiple exchange rates had boosted government revenue, with states and the Federal Capital Territory generating N2.43 trillion in internally generated revenue in 2023, a 26 per cent increase from the previous year.

On debt servicing, the APC chieftain noted that the proportion of revenue spent had dropped from 97 per cent to 68 per cent, reflecting improved fiscal management.

He added that Nigeria cleared the final tranche of its $1.61 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund in May 2025.

Ogba praised Tinubu’s commitment to infrastructure development, citing the inauguration of the ANOH and AHL gas processing plants, which added 500 million standard cubic feet of gas daily to the domestic market, and the upgrade of ports in Lekki, Apapa and two other locations to handle larger vessels.

“The President has shown courage and prudence in leadership by redirecting funds to where they are necessary,” Ogba said.

He also lauded Tinubu’s investment in education, pointing to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which disbursed N56.85 billion to more than 550,000 students within its first year of operation. He described the student loan programme as a landmark step to widen access to higher education.

On the power sector, Ogba commended Tinubu for signing the Electricity Act into law, ending the federal monopoly and empowering states and private entities to generate and distribute electricity.

He further highlighted the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative as a viable alternative to petrol, especially in the wake of subsidy removal.

Speaking on security, Ogba quoted the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as saying that over 13,543 Boko Haram elements were neutralised in the past two years while more than 11,000 arms were recovered and destroyed.

“Greater successes have been achieved in the fight against terrorism and insecurity under this administration,” he said.

He also credited Tinubu with strengthening Nigeria’s international standing through a foreign policy anchored on democracy, development, demography, and diaspora engagement, adding that more than $50 billion had been mobilised through strategic partnerships.

Ogba argued that while Tinubu inherited difficult legacies, his courage in dismantling economic distortions must now be matched with creativity and compassion to build an inclusive recovery.