Pro-Tinubu group targets Ohanaeze, Anyaoku to push Obi out of 2027 race
The Southeast chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) plans to ask Ohanaeze Ndigbo, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, and former Chief of General Staff Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe to lead a delegation that will persuade Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu's re-election.
Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, the group's Southeast leader, disclosed the plan in Owerri, Imo State, after a meeting focused on securing victory for Tinubu across the five Southeast states in the 2027 election. The group wants the Igbo leaders to convince Obi, the Labour Party's presidential candidate in 2023, to step aside.
The argument for stepping down
Ngoforo said the proposed intervention is not meant to diminish Obi's political standing or question his ambition, but to persuade him to consider the long-term strategic interests of the Southeast rather than focusing solely on the 2027 presidential contest.
"The issue is bigger than one election and bigger than one individual," Ngoforo said.
He argued that the Southeast could gain more politically by supporting Tinubu in 2027 and building a strategic relationship with the Southwest. Tinubu, if re-elected, would be constitutionally limited to another four-year term after 2027, which Ngoforo said creates an opportunity for the Southeast to negotiate a political understanding with the Southwest.
"The presidency cannot be won by any zone acting alone," he said, according to The Sun. "Supporting Tinubu's second term could create a political debt that becomes useful when the Southeast makes its own claim. We should be in their debt, so that they owe in reciprocity."
Ngoforo also argued that Obi's withdrawal would not necessarily end his presidential ambition. He said Obi is still young enough to pursue the presidency at another time when circumstances could be more favourable to the Southeast.
The group's position is that postponing Obi's ambition could allow the Southeast to build stronger political alliances and negotiate for future support. In a more detailed argument reported by The Sun, RHGN also wants Obi to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) and support Tinubu's re-election.
The group pointed to disagreements surrounding candidate selection in the Southeast and argued that political power depends on alliances and political security rather than promises alone. Ngoforo also cited policy similarities between Obi and the Tinubu administration, including the removal of fuel subsidy, as part of the argument for cooperation between the two camps. He questioned why Obi should seek to displace an administration whose major policy direction he allegedly agrees with.
Opposition from another Igbo group
The proposal has already attracted opposition from another Southeast group. The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation (IHIF) rejected RHGN's plan and called on the group to allow Obi to exercise his constitutional right to contest the 2027 election.
IHIF National Coordinator, Chinedu Nsofor, said the group was campaigning for an Igbo presidency in 2027 and had adopted Obi as its preferred candidate. Nsofor argued that RHGN should not attempt to persuade Obi to abandon his ambition, stressing the importance of what he described as fairness, equity and justice in Nigeria's political process.
What remains unconfirmed
The latest development is a proposal from a pro-Tinubu support group. There is no indication in the reports that Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Anyaoku or Ukiwe has accepted RHGN's request to lead a delegation to Obi.
There is also no indication that Obi has agreed to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race or support Tinubu.
The move comes as political groups and prospective candidates intensify consultations and alliance-building ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to Pulse.ng.
