HURIWA Rejects South-East Governors’ 2027 Position

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has faulted the reported decision of South-East governors to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, insisting that elected governors lack the constitutional authority to determine how the people of the region will vote.
The group also said it would petition United States President Donald Trump and relevant international democratic institutions over what it described as an alleged attempt to create the impression that the political choices of South-East voters had already been predetermined.
The position follows remarks credited to the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who said the governors of the five South-East states had resolved to work for President Tinubu’s re-election, citing projects and policies of the administration in the region.
However, HURIWA, in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, described the declaration as constitutionally troubling and incompatible with the principles of representative democracy.
According to the rights group, governors are elected to serve the people and not to decide how citizens should exercise their franchise.
“No governor has the constitutional authority to mortgage or appropriate the votes of the people. The sovereignty of the electorate is guaranteed by the Constitution and can only be exercised freely at the ballot box,” the statement said.
The organisation argued that the South-East has a long tradition of political independence, maintaining that the people of the region have consistently demonstrated the capacity to make electoral choices based on their convictions rather than political endorsements.
HURIWA warned that public statements suggesting that an entire geopolitical zone had already aligned behind a particular presidential candidate long before the commencement of election campaigns could undermine confidence in the integrity of the electoral process.
It therefore called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publicly reassure Nigerians that the 2027 general election would be conducted in a manner that guarantees transparency, fairness and the independence of the electoral process.
The association said INEC must ensure that every eligible Nigerian is able to vote freely and that every lawful vote counts in accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
HURIWA also disclosed plans to petition President Trump and international democratic organisations to encourage what it described as closer international attention to Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
According to the group, the objective is to promote confidence in the electoral process and reinforce the principle that political power must be derived solely from the freely expressed will of the electorate.
The association urged political leaders across the country to avoid actions or statements capable of creating the impression that electoral outcomes had been settled before Nigerians cast their votes.
It maintained that democracy can only thrive where citizens are free to choose their leaders without coercion, intimidation or undue political influence.
Uzodimma had defended the South-East governors’ position by pointing to projects executed by the Tinubu administration in the region, including the establishment of the South East Development Commission, ongoing road infrastructure and the rehabilitation of sections of the Eastern railway corridor, arguing that the President had demonstrated commitment to the development of the zone.