Johnny Ucheaga, a lawyer and former National Administrative Secretary of the defunct National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN), has said governors in the South-East can support any presidential candidate of their choice but cannot compel residents of the region to vote for that candidate.
Ucheaga made the remarks during an interview published by The Sun on October 16, 2026, while discussing political alignments ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
His comments come amid debate over claims that governors in the South-East have agreed to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
According to Ucheaga, political endorsements by governors do not remove the constitutional right of individual Nigerians to decide who they want to elect.
He stressed that every eligible voter aged 18 and above has the right to support a candidate of their choice, regardless of the political position taken by their state governor.
The question of the South-East’s political direction became more prominent in July after Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the South-East Governors’ Forum, said the region’s governors had resolved to work with Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
However, Abia State Governor Alex Otti disputed the suggestion that the governors could speak collectively for the entire region, maintaining that political support was a matter of individual choice and party affiliation.
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) also rejected the idea that the region had collectively endorsed a presidential candidate, arguing that governors could not commit the votes of millions of residents.
These differing positions have highlighted the distinction between the political choices of elected officials and the independent decisions of voters.
Ucheaga argued that political leaders are free to express their preferences, but electoral outcomes ultimately depend on the electorate.
His position reinforces the principle that a governor’s endorsement does not automatically translate into votes for a candidate. Voters may consider party affiliation, leadership records, economic conditions, security and campaign promises before making their decisions.
The debate is particularly significant as political parties and presidential aspirants begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections.
For candidates seeking support in the South-East, endorsements from political leaders may offer visibility and organisational backing, but they do not guarantee that voters will follow those endorsements at the ballot box.
Ucheaga also discussed the opposition’s prospects and the importance of political unity in challenging an incumbent government. He argued that divisions among opposition parties could weaken their ability to compete effectively.
However, the final outcome of the election will depend on the candidates, campaigns, voter participation and decisions made by Nigerians at the polls.
With political discussions continuing across the country, the debate over the South-East’s voting choices underscores a central feature of democratic elections: political leaders can campaign for their preferred candidates, but individual voters retain the right to decide who receives their votes.