Udengs Eradiri, Director of Media of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG) in Bayelsa State, has declared that supporters of President Bola Tinubu remain firmly behind him and are determined to secure his re-election in 2027.
Eradiri made the declaration while responding to a statement attributed to Rotimi Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transportation who is identified in the report as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate.
Amaechi reportedly said that only thieves and mad people would vote for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Eradiri condemned the remark as reckless and irresponsible, accusing the former governor of insulting Nigerians who support the President.
He also accused Amaechi of hypocrisy, arguing that the former governor had previously campaigned vigorously for the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party Tinubu later led.
‘We Are Madly in Love With Tinubu’
Eradiri said Tinubu deserved another four years to consolidate the reforms and changes his administration had initiated.
Explaining why he and other supporters intended to vote for the President again, Eradiri said their support was based on both the principle of power rotation and their belief in Tinubu’s leadership.
“We are madly in love with Tinubu and we want to vote for him. We love him, not only because he hails from the South where the presidency resides till 2031 but also because he has demonstrated uncommon courage, patriotic boldness and unselfish determination to take tough decisions that others before him shied away from to reposition this country and lay a solid foundation for a great and prosperous nation,” he said.
Rejecting the suggestion that Tinubu’s supporters were either thieves or mentally unstable, Eradiri added: “We are not thieves and we do not have any mental problem. President Tinubu is our democratic choice and we will reelect him.”
In a statement on Sunday, the TSG media director argued that four years was insufficient to achieve the level of national transformation supporters expected from the current administration.
He also challenged opposition figures, including Amaechi and his political associates, to demonstrate that they could manage Nigeria’s resources and address the country’s problems more effectively than the incumbent government.
Eradiri Accuses Opposition of Desperation
Eradiri said Amaechi’s reported comments reflected what he described as the weakness of the opposition’s political message.
He argued that insulting voters would discourage Nigerians from supporting opposition candidates rather than help them win the 2027 election.
“You can see the inconsistency, arrogance and desperation these people are deploying to talk to Nigerians. We have resolved to vote for Tinubu because we believe that, with what he is doing to reset this country, he deserves a second term,” Eradiri said.
He also questioned Amaechi’s criticism of Tinubu’s supporters, recalling the former governor’s involvement in the APC’s campaign against former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to Eradiri, Amaechi had previously encouraged Nigerians to vote for the APC when Tinubu was providing national leadership within the party.
He asked whether Amaechi now considered those same Nigerians to be thieves or mentally unstable because they continued to support the party.
“Is he now saying that the people he convinced to vote for APC then are mad people and thieves? It means that he too is a thief and a mad man for convincing people to vote for the APC under the national leadership of Tinubu,” Eradiri said.
Tinubu Supporters Insist Presidency Should Remain in the South
Eradiri also accused Amaechi of undermining the South’s claim to retain the presidency until the expected completion of its turn in 2031.
He maintained that Tinubu’s supporters would continue to back the President in line with their belief in the rotation of political power between the southern and northern parts of the country.
“At this point, no matter what they say, we have resolved to stand with the southern ticket. We don’t want them to come and start afresh so that when we finish the right years, we can rotate it to the North,” he said.
Eradiri described any attempt to remove the presidency from the South before the completion of its expected turn as unjust.
He also accused Amaechi of repeating what he characterised as the political marginalisation of the South during Jonathan’s presidency.
Eradiri Raises Questions About Amaechi’s Record as Rivers Governor
The TSG media director further challenged Amaechi to respond to allegations reportedly raised by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, concerning projects and financial transactions during Amaechi’s tenure as Rivers State governor.
Eradiri cited questions surrounding a reported $1 million concession fee connected to the Olympia Hotel transaction.
He also referred to an alleged outstanding balance of $28.4 billion from the sale of four state-owned power plants, as well as spending on the abandoned Rivers State monorail project.
Additionally, he mentioned allegations concerning money reportedly spent on the Karibi Whyte Hospital project.
These issues were raised by Eradiri as questions Amaechi should address. The claims were not independently established in the statement.
Eradiri also criticised Amaechi over his opposition to the establishment of the Nigeria Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State, when he served as transportation minister.
He argued that voters in the Niger Delta would remember political decisions they believed affected the region’s development.
Eradiri Calls on INEC, NBC and Police to Act
Eradiri described Amaechi’s reported remarks about Tinubu’s supporters as inflammatory and insulting.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Nigeria Police Force to enforce relevant rules governing political campaigns and election-related statements ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to him, political parties and candidates should concentrate on presenting their records, policy proposals and manifestos rather than using language that could inflame political tensions.
“Serious parties and candidates are expected to campaign with their achievements, programmes and manifesto to convince the people and show them what they will do better than the ruling party, not by making inciting statements and hate speeches,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Eradiri insisted that attacks against Tinubu and his supporters would not weaken their determination to campaign for the President’s re-election.
“We want to assure Amaechi that no amount of hate, bile and name-calling will stop the majority of Nigerians from voting for Tinubu,” he said.
He also dismissed the chances of the opposition ticket involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Amaechi, describing it as “dead on arrival”.
Eradiri maintained that several factors would work against the ticket’s chances of winning the 2027 presidential election.
