Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has tasked President Bola Tinubu on economic reforms, restructuring, accelerating the execution of ongoing infrastructural projects, insecurity, and food security.
Ohanaeze said focusing on these issues would enable the Tinubu Presidency to overcome the prevailing political realities confronting the nation, especially the challenges of the 2027 general elections.
The pan-Igbo organisation stated that the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, which portends the potential loss of approximately 12 million votes for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), undeniably presents a significant challenge.
In a statement issued on Friday by the factional Deputy President-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze urged the Presidency to resist the temptation to abandon the sacred responsibilities of governance for the fleeting allure of partisan politicking.
It said the opposition coalition, comprising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and other political actors, is strategically positioning itself to inherit the northern political structure left vulnerable following the death of Buhari.
“Their calculated design is to put President Tinubu in a political quagmire, thereby diverting his administration’s focus from the critical task of delivering democratic dividends to the Nigerian people.
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“It is imperative to emphasize that Nigerians do not desire an octogenarian presidency in 2027.
“At 78 years of age, Atiku Abubakar does not constitute a credible threat to President Tinubu’s re-election ambitions. The true political challenge emanates from Mr. Peter Obi, whose ascendancy demands that the Presidency urgently recalibrate its strategies.
“Without a decisive shift in approach, particularly in addressing Nigeria’s fundamental needs, the prospect of President Tinubu securing victory in 2027 will be severely compromised.
“The federal government must embark on a comprehensive overhaul of its policies, with an unwavering focus on economic reforms, national restructuring, acceleration of ongoing infrastructural projects, mitigation of insecurity, and assurance of food security.
“These domains must constitute the cardinal priorities of the administration to restore the confidence of Nigerians and demonstrate an unassailable commitment to good governance.
“The pursuit of the late President Buhari’s erstwhile support base, while politically tempting, is a booby trap meticulously laid by the opposition coalition to distract the Presidency from its sacred mandate of service delivery.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo asserts, without equivocation, that the principal political headache confronting the Presidency is not Atiku Abubakar’s waning presidential ambition, which is widely acknowledged as untenable, but rather the burgeoning political ambition of Peter Obi.
“With 20 months remaining before the 2027 elections, the administration has ample opportunity to consolidate its achievements and present a compelling record of verified projects and policies that tangibly improve the lives of Nigerians,” the body advised.
Ohanaeze reiterated the urgent and non-negotiable demands of the Igbo nation as the creation of a sixth state in the South-East, the reopening of the Calabar seaport, the completion of all ongoing federal road projects, the modernization of railway infrastructure, and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu.
The group expressed profound bewilderment at the palpable uneasiness within the Presidency regarding Peter Obi’s political influence, especially given that David Umahi serves in President Tinubu’s cabinet.
