The All Progressives Congress may be heading for a much stronger electoral showing in the South-East in 2027, with Minister of Works Dave Umahi expressing confidence that the party can secure victory across the region’s five states.

Umahi made the prediction while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he was asked about the APC’s chances of making inroads into a region where the party faced a difficult contest during the 2023 presidential election. Rather than limit his expectation to a few states, the minister said he believed the APC could carry the entire South-East.

“My faith is telling me we’ll win the five states,” Umahi said, when asked how many of the region’s states he expected the party to win.

The minister also played down Peter Obi’s potential impact on President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign, arguing that the former Labour Party presidential candidate would not be the only contender drawing political support from the South-East. Umahi noted that several other candidates, including a female presidential contender, would also be seeking votes in the region.

On Tinubu’s prospects specifically, Umahi said the president should expect a considerably better result in the South-East at the next election. He maintained that the level of support for Tinubu in the region would be different from what the APC recorded previously, as political parties begin another round of mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential race.