Nigerian president Tinubu, Peter Obi

The Southeast chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) has resolved to engage prominent Igbo leaders in an effort to persuade former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The Southeast leader of the group, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, disclosed the plan in Owerri on Saturday following a meeting focused on strategies to secure support for President Tinubu across polling units in the five Southeast states.

Ngoforo said the group plans to approach the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, led by Senator John Azuta Mbata, as well as elder statesmen including Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe. The group hopes the leaders will lead a delegation to meet with Obi and discuss the possibility of his withdrawal from the 2027 contest.

According to Ngoforo, the proposed engagement is not aimed at undermining Obi’s political influence or stature but at encouraging him to consider what the group describes as the long-term strategic interests of the Southeast.

He said the discussion would centre on whether a broader political arrangement with the Southwest could create a pathway for the Southeast to secure the presidency at a future date.

Ngoforo argued that the 2027 election should be viewed beyond the immediate contest for the presidency, with the Southeast considering the potential political benefits of building a strategic relationship with the Southwest.

He pointed to Tinubu’s constitutional limit to one further term if re-elected, arguing that support for the Southwest in 2027 could form the basis of a political understanding that may benefit the Southeast when presidential power next rotates to the South.

The RHGN leader also urged political stakeholders in the Southeast to focus on building long-term alliances and reciprocal political commitments rather than viewing the 2027 election solely as a contest between competing candidates.

He maintained that Obi’s decision to withdraw from the 2027 race would not necessarily bring his presidential ambition to an end, but could instead amount to postponing the ambition until what the group considers a more favourable political moment.

The proposed engagement with Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the elder statesmen is therefore expected to focus on the broader political interests of the Southeast and the possibility of forging alliances that could strengthen the region’s prospects in future presidential contests.