Ohanaeze Ndigbo rejects Atiku’s call for Northern presidency, pledges support for Tinubu

The apex Igbo Sociocultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s recent remarks advocating for a Northern Presidency in the 2027 elections.

In a statement released today by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the group expressed deep concern over Atiku’s apparent disregard for the rotational presidency.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo reaffirmed its commitment to the Southern Presidency for the period of 2023-2031.

The statement also emphasized the Igbo people’s gratitude for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ongoing infrastructure development in Southeastern Nigeria, including key federal road projects that were neglected during the previous Obasanjo/Atiku administration.

Isiguzoro made it clear that the Igbo people would not align with Atiku’s Northern-centric vision but would instead lend their full support to President Tinubu’s leadership.

Part of the statement read: “We assert, without equivocation, that the conclusion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Northern term—spanning eight years from 2015 to 2023—must mark a transition of leadership back to Southern Nigeria, from 2023 to 2031.

“This transition is essential for facilitating equitable representation and governance across our diverse nation. Atiku Abubakar’s relentless pursuit of Northern hegemony has irreparably tarnished his reputation among the Igbo people, now perceived as a direct affront to our aspirations for inclusion and progress.

“His rhetoric has communicated a disheartening exclusionary agenda, dismissing Southern candidates, including Mr. Obi, as credible choices for future leadership.

“The implications of his statements reveal an inclination to pigeonhole Mr. Obi into a subordinate role when he should be recognized as a formidable opposition leader in his own right.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo unreservedly repudiates such political maneuvers that aim to reduce the Igbo people to a secondary status within the political milieu.

“Furthermore, Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s vision is not contingent upon Atiku Abubakar’s advocacy for a Northern presidency but rather is firmly anchored in the significant infrastructural progress currently unfolding across Southeastern Nigeria.”