A political commentator and convener of The Alternative, Segun Sowunmi, has stirred fresh debate ahead of the 2027 general election, declaring that Peter Obi and his teeming supporters, known as Obidients, pose the greatest hindrance to the South-East producing Nigeria’s president.
Sowunmi made the submission during an appearance on the Selah Meditate Podcast, where conversation centred on the 2027 polls and the chances of various presidential hopefuls.
According to him, the South-East must negotiate its way to power by forging alliances across the South, the Middle Belt and the North, rather than relying on a movement he described as too combative.
“Power must be negotiated,” Sowunmi said, explaining that no single ethnic bloc can clinch the presidency in a multi-ethnic and multicultural country without strategic partnerships.
He argued that the heightened hostility and bitterness associated with some Obidient supporters have alienated potential allies, thereby undermining the region’s quest for the nation’s top job.
Sowunmi further took aim at the conduct of the movement’s followers, saying the irritation they generate across the country does the South-East no favours.
He drew an analogy to military leadership, noting that a general bears responsibility for managing his troops and should ensure supporters do not make statements capable of being read as tribal.
The commentator contrasted Obi’s backers with supporters of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, whom he said could make provocative remarks without the same ethnic undertone.
Sowunmi also questioned the seeming disconnect between the economic weight of some Igbo businessmen — visible in markets, retail, real estate, banking and privately owned airlines — and the grievances voiced over the country’s political and economic structure, suggesting that such economic interests should spur deeper engagement with the political system.
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