Kalu made the declaration on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) women’s mobilisation campaign and empowerment rally in Enugu State, where he commended Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to the development and inclusion of the South-East.
The Deputy Speaker argued that successive administrations had failed to fulfil the post-civil war promises of reconciliation, reconstruction and reintegration to the Igbo people, leaving the region waiting for meaningful government attention for decades.
According to him, Tinubu’s emergence as President has brought a new approach to addressing some of the concerns of the South-East.
“I need to remind you that after the civil war, we waited for 60 years for the promise that was made to the people of Igboland that was not kept. The three Rs they taught us in government, Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Reintegration; government after government ignored us. Administrations after administrations ignored the Igbos and we were waiting when will the messiah come to save the Igbos.
“Then came a man who loved the Igbos from his heart,” Kalu said.
He cited the establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) as one of the major indications of Tinubu’s commitment to the region, noting that the proposal had remained before the National Assembly for years before becoming law under the current administration.
Kalu also referenced road and bridge projects, scholarships and other interventions, arguing that the President had demonstrated a willingness to address the developmental needs of the South-East.
“He gave us bridge, roads, and scholarship, why won’t we reelect him again, he will return again,” he declared.
The Deputy Speaker further recalled Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State, claiming that Igbo business owners and their properties were not subjected to harassment or confiscation under his administration.
He also highlighted the appointment of Ben Akabueze, an Igbo man, into Tinubu’s Lagos State cabinet, describing it as evidence of the former governor’s willingness to accommodate people from outside the state.
“For now our mandate is to support the man that has been supporting us, this man has not hidden his love for Ndi-Igbo,” Kalu said.
The lawmaker urged residents of the South-East to support Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the region should reciprocate what he described as the President’s gestures of goodwill.
He also asserted that the South-East had agreed to support the President’s re-election, expressing confidence that the region would mobilise behind the APC ticket.
Kalu’s remarks form part of the APC’s growing political mobilisation in the South-East ahead of the 2027 general elections, as political parties intensify efforts to secure support across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
His description of Tinubu as the long-awaited messiah for the Igbo people is likely to generate further debate about the Federal Government’s record in the region, particularly on the issues of infrastructure, political inclusion, economic development and the long-standing post-civil war question of reconciliation and reintegration.
While Kalu presented the President’s policies and interventions as evidence of a renewed commitment to the South-East, his assertion that the Igbo people have collectively endorsed Tinubu’s re-election represents his political position and appeal to voters in the region.
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