The leading Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 and stated that the South-East will not put forward a candidate to challenge him.
The group said the region’s realistic opportunity to produce a Nigerian president would come in 2035, naming the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, as its preferred candidate for that time.
The decision was announced in a statement from Abakaliki, signed by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Deputy President General of an Ohanaeze Ndigbo faction, and its National Spokesman, Chief Thompson Ohia. They said the resolution was made after a crucial meeting with South-East political leaders and key internal groups, Imeobi and Nzukoumunna.
The statement positioned this as a strategic move to build trust and alliances within the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), which it called the “most practicable political vehicle” for the goal.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo finds it paramount to convey a forthright and compelling message not only to the Ndigbo but to the entirety of the Nigerian populace,” the group said. “We assert, with unwavering candor and respect, that the goal of achieving an Igbo presidency is indeed realizable and sets forth as a compelling objective for the year 2035.”
The organisation projected that an overwhelming 95% of Igbo votes would back President Tinubu’s re-election bid, a significant shift in political allegiance for a region that did not largely support him in the 2023 election.
This endorsement, the statement stressed, is a “calculated decision aimed at nurturing stability and fostering cooperation within the Nigerian political landscape.” It signals a firm rejection of any notion that President Tinubu should serve only a single term.
While acknowledging a list of prominent potential candidates from the region—including Peter Obi, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and Governors Hope Uzodinma and Chukwuma Soludo—Ohanaeze singled out Mr Umahi as the standout figure.
“In this decisive endeavor, we highlight Senator David Umahi as the eminent candidate in a distinguished ensemble of Igbo leaders,” the statement read. It credited his experience as a former state governor, senator, and current high-profile minister as uniquely positioning him to lead the 2035 ambition.
The group’s strategy is based on a predicted sequence of power rotation, anticipating that the presidency will return to northern Nigeria after Mr Tinubu’s potential second term ends in 2031. This would then open the door for the South-East to make its claim in 2035.
“Our communal ambition to secure the presidency for an individual of Igbo descent depends fundamentally upon forging strategic alliances and establishing a foundation of mutual trust with Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups,” Ohanaeze stated.
The move is likely to shape the political discourse within the South-East and its relationship with the ruling APC government in the years to come.
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