The Director Media of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), Bayelsa State chapter, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has declared that supporters of President Bola Tinubu remain firmly behind him and are prepared to re-elect him in the 2027 presidential election.
Eradiri made the declaration while responding to a statement attributed to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, that only thieves and mad people would vote for Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
He described Amaechi’s reported remark as reckless and irresponsible, accusing the former Rivers State governor and Minister of Transportation of hypocrisy for allegedly insulting Nigerians who supported the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he previously campaigned to bring to power.
In a statement issued at the weekend, Eradiri said Tinubu deserved a second term to consolidate the reforms and transformation his administration had initiated.
“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.
“We are not thieves and we do not have any mental problem. President Tinubu is our democratic choice and we will re-elect him for a second term,” he said.
Eradiri argued that four years was insufficient to achieve the country’s desired transformation, insisting that opposition politicians had yet to demonstrate that they could manage Nigeria’s resources and address its challenges better than the incumbent administration.
He said Amaechi’s reported comments exposed what he described as the weakness of the opposition’s campaign strategy, adding that name-calling and insults would alienate voters rather than attract their support.
“You can see the inconsistency, the arrogance and the 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,” he said.
The TSG media director also recalled Amaechi’s role in the APC’s campaign against former President Goodluck Jonathan, questioning why the former governor would now disparage Nigerians who supported the party he had previously worked to promote.
“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.
He further accused Amaechi of undermining the South’s claim to the presidency, insisting that Tinubu’s supporters would continue to defend power rotation and mobilise votes for his re-election.
“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 tenure as unjust, alleging that the region had experienced political marginalization during Jonathan’s presidency.
The former president of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) also challenged Amaechi to respond to allegations previously raised by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, regarding transactions and projects undertaken during his tenure as Rivers State governor.
He cited questions reportedly raised by Wike concerning a $1 million concession fee linked to the Olympia Hotel transaction, an alleged outstanding balance of $28.4 billion from the sale of four state-owned power plants, and expenditure on the abandoned Rivers State monorail project.
Eradiri also referred to allegations concerning funds purportedly spent on the Karibi Whyte Hospital project.
On regional development, he criticised Amaechi’s reported opposition to the establishment of the Nigeria Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State, during his tenure as transport minister.
He maintained that Niger Delta voters would not forget issues they considered central to the region’s economic growth and development.
Describing Amaechi’s reported remarks about Tinubu’s supporters as inflammatory and insulting, Eradiri 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 electioneering ahead of the 2027 polls.
He urged political parties and candidates to focus on their records, policies, programmes and manifestoes instead of resorting to insults and statements capable of heightening political tensions.
“Serious parties and candidates are expected to campaign with their achievements, their programmes and manifestoes 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.
Eradiri assured Tinubu’s supporters that the alleged verbal attacks would not deter them from campaigning 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 added.
He also dismissed the electoral prospects of the opposition ticket involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Amaechi, describing it as “dead on arrival” and expressing confidence that Tinubu would secure another term.