2027: Ohanaeze reveals the only conditionn it will accept a coalition

Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the leading Igbo sociocultural group, has said that it will support any political alliance that ensures an Igbo candidate, along with a Northern running mate, will automatically be elected president in 2027.

Any other realignment outside of this framework is bound to fail, Ohanaeze made clear.

This information was provided to ZINGTIE in a joint statement released on Tuesday by Chief Chinenyeze Thompson Ohia and Okechukwu Isigozoro, the polarizing Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze.

Ohanaeze was reacting to the defection of Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The statement read: “In light of his past governance and the consequential suffering experienced by the Igbo and Christian communities during his administration, we resolutely characterize El-Rufai as a political leper and a liability to any party he aligns himself with, particularly the SDP.

According to Ohanaeze, “During his tenure as Kaduna State governor from 2015 to 2023, El-Rufai presided over an administration that was fraught with serious allegations of violence and persecution directed against Igbos and the Christian populace of Southern Kaduna.

“The scars of traumatic experiences endured by these communities should not be overlooked. It is only appropriate that El-Rufai seeks public absolution by issuing a formal apology to the Nigerian people, as well as to Christian leaders and the affected communities, for his failure to protect their lives and livelihoods amid escalating violence.

“His lack of accountability during those turbulent years underscores a disqualifying flaw in his leadership, which must be addressed before any claim to legitimacy can be made.

“Moreover, El-Rufai must publicly renounce his prior declarations made in 2023, wherein he contended that the impetus for the Muslim-Muslim 2023 APC presidential ticket was rooted in a design for Islamic political supremacy in Nigeria.

“We demand clarity on his role and responsibility for the tragic deaths and insecurity that plagued Kaduna State under his watch.

“Until he furnishes a detailed account and a transparent admission of his failures, El-Rufai will remain perceived as a political leper—one whose presence in any political domain jeopardizes its integrity and viability.

“While Ohanaeze Ndigbo has observed the coalition of opposition leaders mobilizing around the SDP in anticipation of the 2027 elections, we must emphatically voice our position without ambiguity:

“Unless this coalition provides an automatic 2027 SDP presidential ticket to a candidate of Igbo descent and a Christian, accompanied by a Northern running mate, any attempt to realign outside this framework is doomed to failure.

“Should they consider the SDP a Northern party that merely requires South Eastern cooperation to sustain a Northern candidate, let it be known—such a strategy is unequivocally dead on arrival.

“Furthermore, we stand firm in our adherence to the principle of a Southern presidency, consistent with the gentleman’s agreement regarding the rotational leadership arrangement between the North and South.

Ohanaeze emphasized further, saying that Nigerians will vehemently oppose any attempt to undermine the Southern president until 2031 and that it is just not acceptable to enable a Northern candidate to hold office for more years after Buhari’s eight-year term.

El-Rufai’s political future depends on his willingness to genuinely address the injustices that have characterized his political legacy, the group said, reminding him that his path to redemption is in genuine reconciliation with the historical wounds he has caused. Until that time, Ohanaeze Ndigbo will not work with any political party that has ties to El-Rufai.

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.