2027: Tinubu’s group moves to woo Obi at planned Ohanaeze, Anyaoku meetings
*Says, ‘Support Tinubu now, secure Southeast presidency later’
He said the proposed delegation would meet Obi and appeal to him to place what RHGN described as the long-term political interests of the Southeast above the immediate pursuit of the presidency.
The Southeast chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) has launched a fresh political push to persuade former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, to shelve his ambition and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The group said it would approach the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and prominent Igbo elder statesmen to intervene and appeal to Obi to step down from the 2027 presidential contest.
Southeast leader of RHGN, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, disclosed the plan in Owerri, Imo State, on Saturday, shortly after a meeting where the group strategised on how to deliver victory for Tinubu across the five Southeast states in the 2027 election.
Ngoforo said the group would seek the intervention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General, Senator John Azuta Mbata, as well as elder statesmen including former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd.).
He said the proposed delegation would meet Obi and appeal to him to place what RHGN described as the long-term political interests of the Southeast above the immediate pursuit of the presidency.
According to Ngoforo, the objective is not to diminish Obi’s political stature but to convince him that the Southeast could gain more strategically by building a political alliance with the Southwest.
Ngoforo argued that if Tinubu wins re-election in 2027, he would be constitutionally barred from seeking another term after completing his second four-year tenure.
He therefore urged the Southeast to consider supporting the Southwest in 2027 while negotiating a political arrangement that could strengthen the region’s chances of producing the president when power next returns to the South.
He described the proposal as a long-term political investment rather than a mere attempt to win an individual election.
“The issue is bigger than one election and bigger than one individual,” Ngoforo said.
He argued that the Southeast should seek to convert today’s political alliances into tomorrow’s political advantages by building reciprocal relationships with other regions.
Ngoforo appealed directly to Obi to reconsider his 2027 ambition, saying withdrawal from the race would not necessarily amount to abandoning his presidential aspiration permanently.
Rather, he described it as a possible strategic postponement designed to create better conditions for the Southeast to pursue the presidency in the future.
The RHGN leader said the proposed engagement with Ohanaeze and prominent Igbo leaders would seek to convince Obi that the region’s long-term political interests could be better served through strategic alliances.
The development comes as political parties, presidential hopefuls and interest groups intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Southeast expected to remain a major battleground in the presidential contest.
