The All Progressives Congress (APC) has struggled to gain political ground in Nigeria's South-East despite efforts to expand ahead of the 2027 elections. Although President Bola Tinubu's re-election campaign is already being discussed in some quarters, there is little visible support for him in the region. The APC's presence remains weak, with no major political gains in the five South-East states since the 2023 elections. Peter Mbah, who won the Enugu governorship, ran under the People's Democratic Party (PDP), not the APC. No APC candidate won a governorship or senatorial seat in the South-East in 2023. Party chieftains in the region have not launched any significant mobilisation for Tinubu's possible re-election bid. Public sentiment in cities like Enugu, Abakaliki and Owerri shows minimal enthusiasm for the APC. The party's national leadership has not appointed a recognised regional coordinator for the South-East. Even as other parties hold rallies and town halls, the APC remains largely inactive in the zone.
The APC's absence in the South-East is not new—it is simply still absent. Peter Mbah's PDP victory in Enugu underscores what polling and political engagement have long shown: the region does not see the APC as a viable political option. For Tinubu's 2027 plans, this means his party has no machinery to fall back on in five entire states. Without structural presence or popular buy-in, any re-election campaign in the South-East will start from zero.
