PRESS STATEMENT
SEP COMMENDS ATIKU’S EASTERN MARITIME PORT COMMITMENT, CALLS ON OTHER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO MAKE PUBLIC THEIR POLICIES ON THE PORTS
Following a meeting held today, SEP warmly commends the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, GCON, for including the revival and development of the Eastern maritime port corridor among his 12-point policy commitments for the 2027 presidential election.
We particularly welcome his commitment to restore the operational capacity and competitiveness of the ports in Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri, while advancing the development of the Uyo Deep Sea Port.
SEP has consistently advocated for the reopening, modernisation and effective utilisation of the old Southern and Eastern ports. When SEP registered as a support group on 10 March 2026, the first proposal it submitted for inclusion as an official ADC campaign commitment was:
**“Decongestion of Nigerian Ports**
**Nigeria’s current maritime structure is dangerously over-centralised in Lagos.**
**SEP will advocate for a national logistics framework that:**
* **revitalises Eastern ports, including Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri and Calabar;**
* **reduces pressure on Lagos ports;**
* **creates new commercial corridors across the federation; and**
* **expands employment opportunities in trade and logistics.”**
The continued over-centralisation of Nigeria’s maritime trade in Lagos has imposed enormous economic, infrastructural and environmental costs on the country. Reviving the Eastern maritime corridor will decongest Lagos, reduce the cost of transporting goods, stimulate regional commerce, attract investment and create thousands of jobs across the federation.
It will also address a long-standing structural imbalance by allowing businesses to use the ports closest to their markets instead of transporting imported and exported goods across unnecessarily long distances.
The Federal Government must be sincere about developing the ports in the old Southern and Eastern maritime corridor. This requires more than policy declarations. It must provide adequate security within Nigeria’s territorial waters and adjoining international shipping routes, regularly dredge and maintain the relevant channels, and develop the inland waterways along the River Niger through Lokoja and the River Benue towards Makurdi. This will open new commercial corridors, connect inland communities to maritime trade and stimulate businesses across the affected regions.
SEP is therefore pleased that His Excellency Atiku Abubakar has listened to this important demand and elevated it into a clear presidential policy commitment. This demonstrates responsiveness to the concerns of businesses, traders, transporters and communities that have suffered from the neglect and underutilisation of these ports.
We also call on every other presidential candidate and political party seeking the mandate of Nigerians in 2027 to state openly and unambiguously their position on the reopening, rehabilitation and full utilisation of the ports in Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri and Calabar, as well as the development of the Uyo Deep Sea Port.
This issue must become a major subject of the 2027 presidential campaign. Nigerians deserve to know which candidates are genuinely committed to opening new commercial corridors, expanding employment and building an economy that works for every part of the federation.
**Signed:**
**SOUTH EAST PATRIOTS (SEP)**
