2027: Uzodimma Tells Diplomats to Brace Up for Narrative Campaigns by Opposition

Michael Olugbode  and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, told the Diplomatic Corps to brace up for narrative campaigns by opposition parties in the months ahead of the 2027 general election. Uzodimma, who is also Director-General of The Renewed Hope Ambassadors, stated this yesterday in Abuja during an interactive session between the APC governors, ministers, and ambassadors of various countries.

The governor, who highlighted the achievements of the President Bola Tinubu administration, said the Renewed Hope Agenda was not a campaign slogan, but a coherent policy framework, anchored on the foundational reforms extending into infrastructure, social investment, security cooperation, and institutional repair.

Uzodimma recalled that in the 2023 financial year, the Federation Account Allocation Committee distributed approximately N10.14 trillion to the three tiers of government over the year.

According to him, “In the most recent FAAC meetings, the total monthly disbursement has hovered between N1.8 and N2.6 trillion. In January of this year alone, over N2.59 trillion was allocated from December 2025 revenue.

“State governments now receive net allocations in the order of N700 to N800 billion monthly, with February’s disbursement to states reaching N784 billion, a 23 per cent increase over the allocation in the same month in the previous year.

“Thanks to this policy, the era of state governors travelling to the Federal Capital to ask for emergency bailouts to pay basic salaries is over.

“The era of subnational governments regularly taking high-interest commercial loans simply to meet their monthly wage bills is over. As the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, I can tell you, on behalf of my colleagues across the federation, that our states have not been at this level of fiscal health in living memory.”

Uzodimma added that at the federal level, fiscal expansion had enabled the government to embark on an infrastructure programme of a scale and seriousness the country had not seen in any single administration in its history.

He stated, “The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700-kilometre coastal corridor connecting nine states from Lagos through to Cross River, is under active construction. The first 47 kilometres of Section One were temporarily opened to public traffic on the 12th of December 2025.”

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said in the last three years, Tinubu had led the implementation of the agenda with outstanding results.

Bagudu stated that the meeting was in furtherance of engagements pursuant to the national planning mandate for the federating units, represented by PGF, made up of 31 governors, as well as those who shared the APC vision.

He maintained that the president, as a firm believer in federalism, had continuously engaged with state governors, either bilaterally or through the National Economic Council.

Bagudu stated, “Our constitution is very clear about our democratic form of governance, and Mr President is one of the most renowned democrats in the country. Not only has he fought for democracy, but he has consistently promoted it.

“In 2022, he emerged as the presidential candidate of our party through fiercely contested primaries involving several aspirants.

“Since he was sworn in as President, we have seen different elections won by both the ruling party and opposition parties.”

European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gautier Mignot, said EU would follow the 2027 elections in Nigeria with keen interest.

Mignot stated, “And, of course, we will all follow with great interest the upcoming elections in early 2027 at federal level, but also at state level, including for many governors positions.

“I don’t think that I will violate the political neutrality that any diplomat has to scrupulously observe. If I say that there is one objective that we all like very much, and we all subscribe to your party’s name, and this is the adjective ‘Progressive’, because progress is finally what all nations try to achieve, and progress is for the people.”

Meanwhile, a group, Relaxed Tinubu is Fixing Nigeria, said it would soon launch another publication, titled, “Navigating the Future with Renewed Hope,” containing 301 achievements of the Tinubu government.

Director-General of the group, Ahmed Bala, disclosed the plan on Monday in Abuja while speaking with some APC supporters.