A pro-Tinubu support group, Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), is preparing to approach the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide as part of efforts to persuade Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu.
The group said its proposed engagement was not simply about the 2027 election but about what it described as a long-term political strategy to reposition the Southeast within Nigeria’s presidential power structure.
Deputy National Leader (Southeast) of RHGN, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Owerri at the weekend.
Ngoforo said RHGN planned to engage Ohanaeze leaders, elder statesmen and other influential figures in the Southeast before making a direct appeal to Obi.
He said the group was considering approaching Ohanaeze under Senator John Azuta Mbata, as well as prominent statesmen including Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, to help lead discussions with the former Anambra State governor.
According to him, RHGN’s argument is that the Southeast should look beyond the immediate 2027 contest and build alliances that could strengthen its prospects of producing Nigeria’s president in the future.
Ngoforo said Obi’s decision to step aside would not necessarily end his political career, arguing that he remained young enough to seek the presidency at another time when circumstances might be more favourable to the Southeast.
The group also believes that supporting Tinubu’s re-election could create a basis for stronger political cooperation between the Southeast, Southwest and Northern regions.
Ngoforo argued that Nigeria’s presidency could not realistically be secured by one geopolitical zone acting alone, stressing that regional alliances and political reciprocity would remain crucial.
He said the Southeast should consider using the 2027 election to build political goodwill and relationships that could become valuable when the region eventually makes its own claim to the presidency.
RHGN also raised concerns about the internal political challenges facing Obi’s platform, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), arguing that disputes surrounding candidate-selection processes in the Southeast had weakened the party’s structure.
According to Ngoforo, the fragmentation of the opposition platform could affect the strength of the political machinery available to Obi for a nationwide presidential campaign.
He further questioned whether Obi’s reported commitment to serving a single term would be enough to secure meaningful political support from Northern Nigeria, arguing that presidential politics is driven by broader calculations involving power, succession and political security.
The RHGN leader also pointed to areas of policy similarity between Obi and the Tinubu administration, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy.
He described the subsidy removal as a difficult economic decision and argued that areas of policy convergence could provide an opportunity for dialogue rather than continued political confrontation.
Ngoforo said RHGN would continue its consultations with political stakeholders as it works towards what it described as a broader political realignment ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The group’s immediate objective, he added, is to secure overwhelming support for Tinubu across the five Southeast states while making the case for a political arrangement it believes could give the region greater leverage in future presidential contests.
