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By Oscar Okhifo
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared that no Igbo person will contest the presidency against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
According to the group, the Southeast’s realistic chance of producing Nigeria’s president lies in 2035, not 2027, adding that it has already resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“Ohanaeze has resolved to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term,” the statement read. “We have done our calculations and agreed that Ndigbo should strategically shift their ambition to 2035, when the chances will be clearer and more realistic.”
The organization projected that as much as 95% of Igbo votes would go in Tinubu’s favour during the 2027 polls.
In outlining possible future contenders from the Southeast, the body listed Peter Obi, Ifeanyi Okowa, Pius Anyim, Hope Uzodinma, Chukwuma Soludo, and Rochas Okorocha, but tipped Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, as the most qualified to lead in 2035.
Recall that only recently, the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo was reported to have made a similar statement, claiming that the body had prevailed on Peter Obi not to contest against Tinubu in 2027. The report was later strongly refuted by the youth wing, which insisted that no such decision was ever taken.
The conflicting positions have fueled speculations about factionalisation within the apex Igbo body, raising questions about whose interests the divergent statements represent.
In the statement signed by factional Deputy President General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzor and National Spokesman Chief Thompson Ohia, the leaders insisted that the decision was reached after a crucial meeting with Southeast political stakeholders.
“Our decision is borne out of realism, not sentiment. Ndigbo must play politics with wisdom, align with other regions, and wait for the right time. That time is 2035, not 2027,” the group declared.