Simon Oshi Backs Tinubu’s Second Term, Urges Southeast to Drop 2027 Bid
A former Special Adviser and Commissioner, Simon Oshi, has urged political leaders and presidential aspirants from the Southeast to shelve their ambitions for the 2027 election and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Simon Oshi argued that the region’s quest to produce Nigeria’s next president should not take precedence over Tinubu’s second-term ambition, insisting that the president should be allowed to complete the constitutionally permitted eight-year tenure.
He made the appeal while speaking to journalists on Monday, November 9, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general election.
The former House of Representatives aspirant for Aninri/Awgu/Oji-River Federal Constituency in Enugu State acknowledged that the Southeast had competent individuals capable of leading the country but maintained that the region’s presidential ambition was premature.
According to him, Tinubu deserves another term to consolidate his administration’s policies and pursue its reform agenda, arguing that the challenges facing Nigeria cannot be resolved within a single four-year tenure.
Simon Oshi said the country’s complex political structure, competing interests among political parties, state governments and lawmakers, as well as the scale of its development challenges, made it difficult for any president to deliver far-reaching changes within four years.
“You can’t change Nigeria for good in four years, it is not possible. Even in eight years, except you are a magician. Maybe you are Jesus Christ. A country like Nigeria where we have different senators, political parties and different governors, there is nothing you can do. There are different interests and he has to take it a step at a time,” he said.
He urged the president to sustain his leadership and policy direction, expressing the view that the administration’s policies were gradually changing the country’s circumstances.
Simon Oshi’s position comes amid growing political discussions over the 2027 presidential contest and renewed calls in parts of the Southeast for the region to produce Nigeria’s next president.
The agitation for an Igbo presidency has remained a recurring issue in the country’s political debate, particularly around questions of regional inclusion, equity and the rotation of presidential power among Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
However, Simon Oshi maintained that the immediate priority should be to support Tinubu’s second-term ambition rather than pursue a Southeast presidency in 2027.
His appeal places him among political voices advocating continuity for the Tinubu administration, despite the competing political interests and regional aspirations expected to shape the next presidential election
