As Nigeria’s 2027 political season draws nearer, geopolitical groups are already repositioning and realigning in the contest for presidential power. In the South East, leaders are reviving the old demand: to finally see a Nigerian of the South-East extraction elected president of Nigeria.
The Igbo have carried this burden for decades. Since independence in 1960, the region has produced only one executive Head of State — General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. His tenure lasted barely six months, cut short by the bloody July 1966 coup.
Now, Njiko Igbo Forum, a socio-political think tank of Igbo leaders, says the time has finally come to right this historical imbalance.
The group, led by its president, Rev Dr Okechukwu Christopher Obioha JP, on Friday, September 5, paid a courtesy call at the country home of HRH Oba Olaitan Oladipo, leader of Afenifere, in Ilesha, Osun State.
“We have come to seek a handshake across the Niger, particularly with the Afenifere of the Yoruba Nation,” the group said in a letter presented to the political leader of the South West, and made available to JolibaLive News.
Njiko Igbo Forum reminded Afenifere of its bold stand in 2023, under its late leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, when the group openly endorsed Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, despite having a Yoruba son — now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — in the race.
“Whenever and wherever Afenifere sneezes, the whole Nigeria, and indeed particularly the South West, gets cold,” the group told their host.
The Zoning Argument
The delegation argued that zoning, though unwritten, has been Nigeria’s way of balancing power and maintaining stability. The South West and South South have both tasted the presidency on behalf of the South, but the South East has remained sidelined.
The Forum urged Afenifere to support Peter Obi again in 2027, to complete what they described as the “one tenure left in the North-South rotation.” They insisted Obi was robbed of his victory in 2023 and should be allowed to reclaim the mandate.
Official results, however, show the president won the election, which was subsequently affirmed by the courts.
“Peter Obi is not just ably qualified to mount the saddle, but has great potential, tenacity, integrity and capacity to drive the wheel of progress,” the letter continued.
The group promised collaboration with Afenifere in pushing for justice, equity and fairness in Nigeria’s political equation. “Nigeria,” the group assured, if given to Peter Obi to lead, “will blossom again within four years of his presidency. Trust us. Together we can!” their statement concluded.
Wider Implications
This renewed push is bound to stir debates across the political landscape. Will Yoruba elders again back an Igbo candidate against one of their own who is the incumbent? Can the demands of justice and equity trump regional interests and entrenched ethnic politics?
South East leaders have long argued that inclusion at the highest level of government is the only way to guarantee stability. Some of them warn that continued exclusion fuels resentment and separatist sentiments in the region.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s economy is still struggling with stubborn inflation, worsening poverty levels and rising insecurity challenges. Whoever becomes president in 2027 will inherit a fragile system in need of urgent reforms, and will need a support base across the country to even win, and to rule.
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