2027: Igbo votes alone can’t make you President, allow Tinubu to complete 2nd term – Ohanaeze tells Peter Obi

2027: Igbo votes alone can’t make you President, allow Tinubu to complete 2nd term – Ohanaeze tells Peter Obi

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has pleaded with the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the last general election, Peter Obi, for the sake of equity, national integration and peace, to drop his 2027 presidential ambition and support President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid.

In a statement in Abakaliki, the Deputy National President of the Ohanaeze faction, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, told Obi that wresting power from the incumbent President Tinubu would prove exceedingly challenging, reminding him that only the South-East would not make him president.

Isiguzoro maintained that the present political climate, marked by a lack of unity among opposition leaders and the inordinate ambition of Atiku Abubakar – who, at the age of 81, seeks the presidency – poses a significant risk.

He further noted that Obi and Atiku would share the opposition vote, which will ultimately pave the way for Tinubu’s re-election, and should the scenario unfold, the repercussions would undoubtedly fall heavily upon the South-East, pleading with Obi to support Tinubu’s second bid.

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The statement reads: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo fully acknowledges Obi’s constitutional right to contest the presidency in 2027.However, we must confront the stark reality that, despite his considerable social media following, the potential for betrayal looms large.

‘Such betrayal could yield dire consequences, with the Igbo people once again bearing the repercussions, as we did in the elections of 2019 and 2023. In 2019, Mr. Obi was the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, and the joint ticket ultimately cost the South-East an additional sixth state, a promise made by former President Muhammadu Buhari to Igbo leaders contingent upon their support.”