A faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Wednesday pleaded with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, Mr. Peter Obi, for the sake of equity, national integration, and peace, to drop his 2027 presidential ambition and support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
In a statement in Abakaliki, the Deputy National President of Ohanaeze, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, told Obi that winning the presidency from the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will prove exceedingly challenging, reminding him that only the southeast will not make him president.
He maintained that facts on the ground show that it will be very difficult for Obi to win, saying that the current 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 added that the appointment of some southeast people by Mr. President into key positions, like Senator Dave Umahi as the Minister of Works, entrusting him with the critical task of rehabilitating the dilapidated federal road infrastructure in the Southeast, will be another factor, adding that President Tinubu has significantly increased federal allocations to the Southeast.
Isiguzoro further noted that both Obi and Atiku will likely fracture the opposition vote, which will ultimately pave the way for President Tinubu’s reelection. He said that if this scenario were to unfold, the repercussions would undoubtedly fall heavily upon the Southeast. This was as he urged Obi to consider supporting Tinubu’s second bid.