Remi Tinubu Seeks South-East Support for Tinubu’s 2027 Bid, Announces ₦100,000 Boost for Imo Women

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has appealed to voters in the South-East to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027, saying she wants to see the country become better as she grows older.

She made the appeal on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, where she visited as part of the ongoing rollout of a women’s economic empowerment programme.

Addressing the gathering, the First Lady linked her appeal for electoral support to her stated commitment to Nigeria’s development.

“Make una vote for Mr President, we go work for una and Nigeria go better,” she told the audience, adding that she wanted to enjoy a better Nigeria in her old age and would therefore continue working for the country.

Women’s empowerment programme reaches South-East

The political appeal came alongside the distribution of business-support equipment to women across the five South-East states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.

The programme, implemented in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is part of a wider initiative designed to reach 18,500 women across Nigeria.

Under the South-East rollout, 500 women in each state are being supported with equipment intended to help them establish or expand small businesses.

The items include generators, industrial grinding machines, gas cookers and ovens, among other business-support tools. Official reporting on the programme has also identified equipment such as deep freezers among the items being distributed during different phases of the nationwide rollout.

Imo beneficiaries receive additional support

The intervention in Imo went beyond the original 500-person allocation.

According to reports from the Owerri event, Governor Hope Uzodimma provided additional empowerment items for 2,000 women in the state. This increased the number of Imo beneficiaries under the exercise to 2,500.

Following the additional support from the state government, Mrs Tinubu announced that each beneficiary would also receive ₦100,000 in cash.

The additional financial support effectively gives the women both productive equipment and working capital that can potentially be used to start, sustain or expand their businesses.

The First Lady urged beneficiaries to use the assistance carefully, describing it as a foundation for improving their livelihoods and supporting their families.

From nationwide programme to political conversation

The Owerri event also illustrates how the administration’s economic empowerment programmes are increasingly intersecting with the political conversation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The nationwide women’s empowerment scheme dates back to 2025, when the Renewed Hope Initiative announced plans to support 18,500 women — 500 beneficiaries in each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Earlier phases involved grants and business-support interventions for women entrepreneurs and traders.

The programme has subsequently moved through different parts of the country, with beneficiaries receiving financial grants or business equipment depending on the particular phase and location. Reports from Niger, Kogi and other states document earlier stages of the initiative.

That broader timeline is important because the Owerri event should be viewed as part of an ongoing national empowerment programme rather than an isolated South-East initiative.

Uzodimma backs Tinubu’s re-election

Governor Hope Uzodimma also used the occasion to declare his support for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.

He said the people of Imo State appreciated what he described as the Federal Government’s performance and interventions in the state, and pledged that the state would support the President at the next presidential election.

The endorsement adds another political dimension to the First Lady’s visit, particularly as the South-East remains an important region in the political calculations surrounding the 2027 election.

Why the development matters

Mrs Tinubu’s remarks are significant for two reasons.

First, they represent a direct appeal for support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election, coming from one of the administration’s most prominent political figures.

Second, the appeal was delivered at an event focused on economic empowerment, putting women’s livelihoods and electoral politics in the same conversation.

For the beneficiaries, however, the immediate issue is practical: whether the equipment and cash support can translate into sustainable businesses, increased household income and improved economic security.

The effectiveness of the programme will ultimately depend not only on distributing equipment but also on whether beneficiaries can maintain the businesses, access affordable electricity and inputs, find markets for their products and avoid selling the assets provided to them.

What happens next?

The South-East rollout is expected to form part of the broader effort to complete the empowerment programme’s target of 18,500 beneficiaries nationwide.

For President Tinubu, meanwhile, the political campaign for 2027 is gradually becoming more visible, with endorsements and appeals for support emerging at official events.

The coming months are likely to bring increased attention to the administration’s economic programmes, particularly their measurable impact on households, women entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The central question for voters will be whether these interventions, alongside the government’s wider policies, produce improvements that Nigerians can see and sustain before the 2027 election.