President Bola Tinubu. State House
The Ndigbo for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Forum has said President Bola Tinubu can challenge Peter Obi’s support in the South-East in the 2027 presidential election, but warned the All Progressives Congress against assuming that political appointments, endorsements and rallies would translate into votes.
The group said the South-East was not permanently aligned with any political party or presidential candidate, citing the 2003 election in which former President Olusegun Obasanjo won substantial support across the region despite the presidential candidacy of the late Igbo leader, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Coordinator, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Secretary-General, Ugwuoke Ugwuoke Jr., and obtained by The PUNCH, NDI-ABAT said the 2003 result demonstrated that voters in the region could alter their political choices when broader political interests came into play.
The forum asked, “If Ndigbo could support Obasanjo against Ojukwu in 2003, why should Tinubu be considered incapable of defeating Peter Obi in the Southeast in 2027?”
Its argument was accompanied by a warning to the APC that the party could not rely on appearances to measure its strength in a region where it has historically struggled to secure presidential votes.
“Political appointments are not electoral victories, rented crowds are not genuine supporters, and public endorsements do not automatically translate into votes,” the forum said.
It urged APC leaders to pay closer attention to the grievances and expectations of voters in the five South-East states, arguing that the party would need to rebuild trust through what it described as credible leadership, reconciliation and sustained grassroots engagement.
The group said the APC’s performance in the region in the 2015, 2019 and 2023 presidential elections should prompt a reassessment of its strategy rather than assurances from political officeholders about the party’s popularity.
NDI-ABAT warned that relying on what it described as misleading reports of the APC’s strength could create a “dangerous disconnect” between Tinubu and voters in the region.
It said the President needed to address longstanding grievances among Ndigbo, particularly concerns linked to policies implemented under former President Muhammadu Buhari which, according to the group, many Igbo citizens regarded as discriminatory or exclusionary.
The forum said reconciliation would have to go beyond political promises, calling instead for inclusive governance, fairness and visible development.
It specifically demanded greater infrastructure development, wider economic opportunities, equitable political representation and sustained engagement between the Federal Government and Igbo leaders and communities.
The group also urged Tinubu to assess the actual strength of the APC in the South-East independently of assurances from political officeholders and to build a campaign structure around direct engagement with voters.
It called for stronger local leadership, coordinated grassroots mobilisation and clear commitments to regional development, saying the APC’s challenge was not simply to win endorsements but to persuade voters.
The 2003 election cited by the group provides a historical example of the region’s voting patterns changing according to the wider political contest. Obasanjo, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, won all five South-East states against Ojukwu, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
NDI-ABAT argued that the result showed that Ojukwu’s status as a prominent Igbo political figure did not automatically translate into regional electoral dominance and that political loyalties in the South-East could shift when voters and political elites considered broader national interests.
The forum nevertheless acknowledged that the region remained a difficult political terrain for the APC, saying its proposed route to expanding support would have to be built around engagement rather than assumptions about voter loyalty.
“But the APC must first earn the confidence of the people. No political party can win the hearts of voters by ignoring their grievances, misleading its leadership or taking their loyalty for granted,” the statement read.
NDI-ABAT said its support for Tinubu’s re-election was based on its belief that sustained engagement with the Federal Government could advance the interests of Ndigbo within a united Nigeria.
The group said it would continue to promote political engagement between Tinubu and communities in the South-East as the 2027 election approaches.
The forum has previously proposed a data-driven strategy for expanding Tinubu’s support in the region, including grassroots organisation, electoral data and measurable political engagement across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.