2027: Pro-Tinubu group moves to persuade Peter Obi to step down

A pro-Tinubu support group, Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), says it is finalising plans to meet with the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to appeal to the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Deputy National Leader (Southeast) of RHGN, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Owerri at the weekend.

Ngoforo said the engagement with Obi and the wider Igbo political establishment would commence in the coming days.

ALSO READ: Umahi to Nigerians: Appreciate Tinubu for massive infrastructure projects

He said the group’s immediate objective was to secure victory for Tinubu across all polling units in the five South-East states, arguing that Obi’s withdrawal could form part of a broader political strategy for the region.

According to him, stepping down from the 2027 presidential contest would not amount to the end of Obi’s political ambition, noting that the former Anambra State governor was still young enough to pursue the presidency at another time under circumstances he said could be more favourable to the Southeast.

Ngoforo said the proposal was based on a long-term political strategy aimed at securing Tinubu’s support in the Southeast, strengthening relations between the region, the Southwest and the North, and positioning the Southeast for a stronger claim to the presidency when power next returns to the South.

He said RHGN was perfecting plans to approach the Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership under Senator John Azuta Mbata, as well as elder statesmen, including Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, and other influential Igbo leaders to lead a delegation to Obi and persuade him to step down for Tinubu.

Ngoforo stressed that the proposed intervention was not aimed at diminishing Obi’s political stature but at persuading him to place what he described as the long-term strategic interests of Ndigbo above the immediate pursuit of the presidency.

He said Obi should examine the 2027 contest beyond personal ambition and consider whether a broader political bargain could place the Southeast in a stronger position to secure the presidency in the nearest future.

The RHGN leader also cited the internal crisis within the NDC as another reason Obi should reconsider his presidential bid.

He pointed to disputes surrounding the processes through which candidates were selected across constituencies in the Southeast, arguing that the controversy had weakened the party’s political structure.

He said, “The controversy had generated deep discontent within the party and totally weakened the political structure that Obi would ordinarily depend upon for a presidential campaign.

“In my assessment, a presidential ambition is only as strong as the political machinery behind it, and the fragmentation of what once appeared to be a strong support structure raises serious questions about the viability of another presidential bid under the present circumstances.

“RHGN believes Obi should therefore consider whether continuing the contest from a weakened opposition platform represents the best use of his considerable political capital.”

Ngoforo further said RHGN’s consultations with political leaders in Northern Nigeria had reinforced its belief that Obi’s reported commitment to serving only one term would not be sufficient to secure northern support for his presidential ambition.

He argued that presidential politics could not be reduced to a promise of a four-year tenure, saying political interests were driven by calculations around power, succession and political security.

“The politics of presidential succession cannot be reduced to a promise of a four-year tenure. Northern political interests, like those of every other geopolitical zone, are likely to be driven by realistic calculations about power, succession and political security.

“RHGN’s argument is that Igbo political strategy must recognise this fact instead of assuming that a one-term pledge would automatically unlock northern support for an Obi presidency,” he said.

According to Ngoforo, the Southeast should also consider the potential benefits of building a strategic political relationship with the Southwest.

He noted that the South-South had produced former President Goodluck Jonathan, while the Southwest had produced former President Olusegun Obasanjo and currently occupies the presidency through Tinubu.

He argued that since Tinubu would be constitutionally limited to the current electoral cycle if re-elected, the Southeast should consider supporting him now while building a political alliance capable of yielding benefits when power next returns to the region.

Ngoforo said, “Rather than viewing 2027 solely as a contest to be won or lost, Ndigbo should view it as an opportunity to accumulate political goodwill and establish reciprocal obligations with other regions.

“The strategic logic is straightforward: Nigeria’s presidency cannot be secured by any geopolitical zone acting entirely alone. The Southeast may possess a compelling historical and political case for producing the next president from the region, but converting that aspiration into electoral reality requires alliances outside the region.

“I believe that supporting Tinubu’s second-term bid could create a political debt that becomes useful when the Southeast eventually makes its own claim. The objective should be to ‘be in their debt, so that they owe in reciprocity’.

“For RHGN, political power is not merely about immediate votes; it is also about relationships, alliances, trust and the capacity to mobilise support across regional boundaries.”

He also cited what he described as policy convergence between Obi and the Tinubu administration, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy.

Ngoforo described the subsidy removal as one of the most politically difficult economic decisions taken by the Federal Government.

He argued that if Obi agreed with the fundamental direction of major policies being implemented by the Tinubu administration, there was little justification, in RHGN’s view, for seeking to displace the government over policies with which he substantially agreed.

“RHGN therefore sees the apparent convergence not as a reason for political rivalry but as an opening for dialogue, cooperation and a possible realignment of political forces around what it considers the broader national interest,” he said.