A pro-Tinubu support group, Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), says it is finalizing plans to meet with Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leaders to appeal to Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
RHGN Deputy National Leader (South East), Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Owerri at the weekend.
Ngoforo said engagement with Obi and the broader Igbo political establishment would begin in the coming days.
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He said the group’s immediate objective was to ensure Tinubu’s victory in all electoral units in the five south-eastern states, arguing that Obi’s withdrawal could form part of a broader political strategy for the region.
According to him, withdrawing from the 2027 presidential race would not mean the end of Obi’s political ambition, noting that the former Anambra State governor was still young enough to aspire for the presidency at another time under circumstances he said could be more favorable to the South East.
Ngoforo said the proposal was based on a long-term political strategy aimed at securing Tinubu’s support in the South East, strengthening relations between the region, the South West and the North, and positioning the South East for a stronger claim to the presidency when power returns to the South.
He said RHGN was perfecting plans to approach the Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership under Senator John Azuta Mbata, as well as elder statesmen, including Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, and other influential Igbo leaders to lead a delegation to Obi and persuade him to resign in Tinubu’s place.
Ngoforo emphasized that the proposed intervention was not intended to diminish Obi’s political stature but rather to persuade him to place what he described as the long-term strategic interests of Ndigbo above the immediate pursuit of the presidency.
He said Obi should examine the 2027 race beyond personal ambition and consider whether a broader political deal could put the Southeast in a stronger position to secure the presidency in the nearest future.
The RHGN leader also cited the internal crisis within the NDC as another reason why Obi should reconsider his presidential bid.
He pointed to disputes over the processes by which candidates were selected in south-eastern constituencies, arguing that the controversy had weakened the party’s political structure.
He said: “The controversy had generated deep discontent within the party and totally weakened the political structure that Obi would normally depend on for a presidential campaign.
“In my opinion, a presidential ambition is only as strong as the political machinery behind it, and the fragmentation of what once appeared to be a strong support structure raises serious questions about the viability of another presidential bid under the current circumstances.
“RHGN believes Obi should therefore consider whether continuing the race from a weakened opposition platform represents the best use of his considerable political capital.”
Ngoforo further said that RHGN’s consultations with political leaders in northern Nigeria had reinforced its belief that Obi’s reported commitment to serve only one term would not be enough to secure northern support for his presidential ambition.
He argued that presidential politics could not be reduced to a promise of a four-year term, saying political interests were driven by calculations around power, succession and political security.
“Presidential succession policy cannot be reduced to a promise of a four-year term. The North’s political interests, like those of any other geopolitical zone, are likely driven by realistic calculations about power, succession and political security.
“RHGN’s argument is that Igbo political strategy must recognize this fact rather than assuming that a one-term commitment would automatically unlock northern support for an Obi presidency,” he said.
According to Ngoforo, the South East should also consider the potential benefits of building a strategic political relationship with the South West.
He noted that former President Goodluck Jonathan had emerged from the South-South, while former President Olusegun Obasanjo had emerged from the South-West and is currently holding the presidency through Tinubu.
He argued that since Tinubu would be constitutionally limited to the current electoral cycle if re-elected, the South East should consider supporting him now while building a political alliance capable of generating benefits when power returns to the region.
Ngoforo said: “Instead of seeing 2027 solely as a contest that can be won or lost, Ndigbo should see it as an opportunity to build up political goodwill and establish reciprocal obligations with other regions.
“The strategic logic is simple: Nigeria’s presidency cannot be secured by any geopolitical zone acting entirely alone. The Southeast may possess compelling historical and political arguments to produce the region’s next president, but turning that aspiration into electoral reality requires alliances outside the region.
“I think supporting Tinubu’s bid for a second term could create a political debt that will come in handy when the South East finally makes its own claim. The goal should be ‘to be indebted to them, so that they owe in return.’
“For RHGN, political power is not simply about immediate votes; it is also about relationships, alliances, trust and the ability to mobilize support across regional borders.”
He also cited what he described as policy convergence between Obi and the Tinubu administration, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy.
Ngoforo described the removal of the subsidy as one of the most politically difficult economic decisions taken by the Federal Government.
He argued that if Obi agreed with the fundamental direction of the major policies implemented by the Tinubu administration, there was little justification, in RHGN’s view, for seeking to displace the government for policies with which he substantially agreed.
“RHGN therefore sees the apparent convergence not as a reason for political rivalry but as an opening for dialogue, cooperation and a possible realignment of political forces around what it sees as the broader national interest,” it said..
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