Apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared that the prospect of reconciliation between the Northern region and President Bola Tinubu has reached an irreparable juncture.
Meanwhile, the coalition of political leaders has yet to adopt any of the registered political platforms to use in the quest to unseat the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Ohanaeze said despite the myriad presidential appointments and infrastructural promises, the partnership that once flourished in 2023 “is now a shadow of itself.”
In a statement, yesterday, by Ohanaeze’s factional Deputy President-General, Okechukwu lsiguzoro, the body noted that the North decisively abandoned Tinubu for alliances with leaders from the South-East and Niger Delta, to displace him in 2027.
According to Ohanaeze, it is imperative to convey to Tinubu the stark and unvarnished truth: “Without the immediate reversal of critical Federal Government policies and the expeditious implementation of substantial corrective measures, the suffering masses of Nigeria will inevitably gravitate towards the narratives being advanced by opposition coalitions, particularly those spearheaded by Northern leaders, advocating a transformative change in leadership.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo urges the Federal Government to undertake a paradigmatic shift in its approach. It is essential to demystify the perceived numerical dominance of the North through a credible national census in 2025. This census must incorporate mandatory inclusions of ethnicity and religious identity, thus unveiling the true demographic realities of our nation.”
It said the persistent resistance of Northern leaders to the inclusion of such vital identifiers in previous census exercises “speaks volumes about their awareness of this demographic truth”.
With a sixth state in the South-East, revitalization of the Eastern Economic Corridor and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu were cards placed on the table for Tinubu to get Ohanaeze support in 2027.
IN a clarification by Salihu Lukman, yesterday, the coalition explained that candidate selection and zoning arrangement had not been agreed upon by the coalition leaders, including the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, Kayode Fayemi and Rauf Aregbesola.
Lukman, who accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of blocking the coalition from registering a new political party to actualize its aspiration, explained that once consultation is concluded, formal announcement would be made with all the details regarding composition of membership, programme of action towards 2027, and framework for contesting the 2027 elections.
The Kaduna-born politician remarked that their focus was on getting leaders to work setting aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections.
Accusing the APC-led administration of setting the stage for a one-party state, they added that the second issue being negotiated was the political party that would be the platform for the 2027 electoral contest.
He said: “These two issues are carefully being negotiated. While acknowledging that with respect to the requirement for members to set aside personal ambitions, there are strong interests being expressed around issues of zoning by individual leaders. These issues have yet to be formally discussed at any consultation meeting.
“Rescuing Nigerian democracy is beyond simplistic debates of fielding candidates and the associated debates of the quality and where they come from. Everything must be done to produce elected leaders at all levels who will be accountable in every respect and democratic in their dealings with Nigerians. Everything must be done to close this chapter of democratic national frustrations, which only produces emperors. This is the goal of the coalition, for which we appeal for the support of all patriotic Nigerians. We don’t envisage it will be an easy task, but we are determined to succeed.”