4 hours Ago By Guardian Nigeria
Following the endorsement of the Northern presidency in the 2027 general election by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the apex Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, said that Atiku has lost any alliance with the Igbo. In a statement in Abakaliki, the Secretary General of the Chidi Ibeh faction of Ohanaeze, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, argued that Atiku’s outburst has exacerbated longstanding concerns within the Nigerian polity, particularly among the Igbo people, regarding the potential subversion of the critically important principle of rotational presidency. He maintained that Atiku’s reckless pursuit of a Northern political hegemony tarnished his standing among the Igbo populace, signalling an affront to their aspirations for inclusion and representation in governance.
According to Ohanaeze, his public statements reveal an exclusionary agenda that dismisses any Southern candidates, notably Mr Peter Obi, as potential leaders in the upcoming elections, adding that the implications of his rhetorical choices suggest a desire to construe Obi merely as a running mate, rather than acknowledging him as a capable opposition leader with valid political weight. Ohanaeze resolutely rebuffs any political stratagem that seeks to subordinate the Igbo people or undermine our rightful place in the national discourse maintaining that Igbo will rather extend their commendations to President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s dedicated focus on significant infrastructural developments currently underway in the South-East. Isiguzoro noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, which spanned eight years from 2015 to 2023, marked a necessary transition of political power and leadership to Southern Nigeria from 2023 to 2031 wondering why the former presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) will be proposing for Northern presidency in 2027.
Isiguzoro said: “Ohanaeze categorically dismisses, renounces and rejects any insinuation of an Igbo alliance with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a partnership predicated on his apparent disregard for the Gentleman’s Agreement governing the rotational presidency. “We assert with unwavering conviction that the conclusion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Northern tenure, which spanned eight years from 2015 to 2023, marks a necessary transition of political power and leadership to Southern Nigeria from 2023 to 2031.” Expressing the sentiments of Ohanaeze, Isiguzoro articulated the gravity of the group’s position, noting that Atiku has irreparably alienated himself from the Igbo people due to his unreserved endorsement of a Northern presidency, which contravenes their established norms of power rotation.
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