Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
A coalition of former Niger Delta agitators in Akwa Ibom State has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in the 2027 presidential poll, citing what it described as the administration’s commitment to the development of the Niger Delta, the implementation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the inclusion of ex-militants in the broader economic agenda of the Federal Government. The endorsement was announced at a press briefing in Uyo on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, by leaders of the Akwa Ibom Ex-Agitators Forum, who said their members across the state’s coastal communities had resolved to mobilise support for the President and his administration ahead of the general elections.
The forum’s chairman, Comrade Imoh Okoko, said the decision was informed by the Federal Government’s handling of the amnesty programme and its broader engagement with the region. He noted that the appointment of Dr Dennis Otuaro as Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme was a clear signal of the President’s good intentions for ex-militants and the Niger Delta as a whole, and that the forum had previously passed a vote of confidence in Otuaro’s leadership. “The choice of Otuaro as the new PAP administrator was an eloquent testimony to Tinubu’s good intentions for ex-militants and the Niger Delta region,” Okoko said, recalling the forum’s September 2026 endorsement of the amnesty administrator. He said the ex-agitators had seen a difference in the way the programme was being managed and believed that a second term for the President would consolidate those gains.
The forum said it had begun consultations with its members across the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State and would embark on a grassroots mobilisation campaign to sensitise residents on the administration’s policies and programmes. Okoko said the campaign would focus on the President’s economic reforms, the expansion of infrastructure in the South-South, and the opportunities created for young people in the region. He cited the signing of the South-South Development Commission (Establishment) Act, 2025, into law as a strategic intervention aimed at accelerating industrialisation and economic development in the region, and said the completion of the Bonny-Bodo Road—a project that had remained unfinished under successive administrations—was evidence of the President’s commitment to the Niger Delta. He also praised the President for the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, saying it had created a framework for the development of the region’s maritime potential.
The endorsement comes amid a broader wave of support for the President in Akwa Ibom State. In recent months, several groups and stakeholders in the state have declared their backing for the Tinubu administration. In October 2026, the Isong Annang Ethnic Forum endorsed President Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno for the 2027 elections, saying the endorsement was anchored on the need for continuity, peace and development. The forum’s National President, Prince Mendy Archibong, said the organisation would mobilise its members across Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and beyond in support of its declared position. In August 2026, critical stakeholders from the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District endorsed the re-election bids of Tinubu, Akpabio and Eno. In April 2026, Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Lagos adopted the three leaders as their sole candidates for 2027, pledging massive mobilisation. Traditional rulers in the state have also endorsed the President for another four-year tenure. In October 2025, the E’ekpede Initiative announced that it was established to support Tinubu, Akpabio and Eno in their re-election bids, with its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr Adede Inima, saying the initiative was “a child of necessity to help push the right narrative, deepen our democratic experience, and point a clear-cut direction for our people.”
The ex-militants’ endorsement is particularly significant because the Niger Delta remains a critical constituency for any presidential candidate. The region produces the oil that accounts for the overwhelming majority of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings, and its stability is essential to the national economy. Ex-militants, who laid down their arms under the 2009 amnesty programme, have historically been courted by political actors across party lines, and their support can influence the security environment in the creeks and coastal communities. The forum’s decision to back the President reflects a calculation that the Tinubu administration has delivered on its promises to the region, and that continuity is preferable to the uncertainty of a new administration.
However, the relationship between the Federal Government and ex-militants has not been without friction. In June 2026, the Akwa Ibom Ex-Militants Forum threatened to protest over the alleged exclusion of 22 out of 46 ex-militants from the state from the monthly stipends paid under the amnesty programme. In July 2026, more than 200 repentant Niger Delta militants staged a peaceful protest in Uyo, accusing the Federal Government of flouting the amnesty deal. These grievances reflect the persistent challenges that have characterised the amnesty programme, including delays in stipend payments, inadequate training opportunities and a perception of marginalisation among some beneficiaries. The forum’s current endorsement of the President suggests that its leadership has chosen to pursue those grievances through engagement and political support rather than confrontation, but the underlying issues remain unresolved for many ex-agitators.
The political context of the endorsement is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the All Progressives Congress platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. In Akwa Ibom, Governor Umo Eno has consistently aligned himself with the President’s re-election bid, describing it as a project that transcends party lines and a strategy to ensure that the state benefits from federal projects and appointments. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of the state, has also been actively mobilising support for the President. The ex-militants’ endorsement adds another layer to the state’s political dynamics, signalling that the ruling party’s support base is expanding beyond traditional party structures into the region’s informal security networks.
For the ex-militants, the endorsement represents a calculated bet that aligning with the President will yield tangible benefits for their members. For the Tinubu campaign, it provides a grassroots network in the coastal communities and a symbolic victory in a region where the opposition has historically been competitive. For Nigerians, the endorsement is a reminder that in the Niger Delta, political support is often intertwined with the delivery of development and the management of the amnesty programme, and that the votes of the region’s coastal communities will be contested as fiercely as those in any other part of the country. As Okoko put it, the forum would mobilise its members across the 31 local government areas to support the President’s re-election and to ensure that the gains of the current administration are not reversed. The coming months will determine whether that mobilisation translates into electoral advantage for the APC in Akwa Ibom and the broader South-South region.
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