Igbo group says Obi‑Kwankwaso ticket is not a serious challenge to Tinubu.

By Ugochukwu Alaribe 

UMUAHIA – The Igbo political group Ndigbo for Tinubu (NDI‑ABAT) says that the anticipated presidential ticket of former Anambra Governor Peter Obi and former Kano Governor Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), does not constitute a genuine challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re‑election bid.

The group dismissed the Obi‑Kwankwaso alliance as poorly founded, lacking depth and substance, and warned that it will collapse like a house of cards during the election.

In a statement issued by National Coordinator Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and National Publicity Secretary Dr. Peter Ozor, NDI‑ABAT disclosed that it has partnered with the Forum of Former South‑East Governors, led by Senator Dave Umahi, to channel an estimated 11 million Igbo votes from the country’s 774 council areas to Tinubu.

Claiming a membership exceeding five million, the group said it has engaged widely with stakeholders across the South‑East to secure Tinubu’s victory, asserting that the NDC will struggle to make any meaningful impact in the region or among Igbo voters outside it.

The statement continued: “The alliance of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso under the National Democratic Congress poses no real political threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re‑election bid. The Obi‑Kwankwaso movement was hastily assembled, lacks a solid foundation and will crumble like a pack of cards when confronted by the concerted efforts of the Forum of Former South‑East Governors, chaired by the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.”

“NDI‑ABAT is collaborating with this well‑structured former‑governors platform to deliver an estimated 11 million Igbo votes from across the 774 local government areas to President Bola Tinubu,” the statement added.

“For absolute clarity, NDI‑ABAT pledges its unwavering loyalty to the Forum of Former South‑East Governors. We stand as partners in progress, committed to ensuring President Tinubu’s electoral success.”

The group emphasized that the Obi‑Kwankwaso movement will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to sway voters in the South‑East or among Igbo communities outside the region.

“The NDC’s inherent political weaknesses and liabilities are already public knowledge. There are clear signs that the party will be unable to overcome the serious challenges it faces before the 2027 polls.”

“As part of our comprehensive preparation for the 2027 elections, NDI‑ABAT has scheduled two major events: a pro‑Tinubu summit on 12 June 2026, Democracy Day, and a South‑East ‘2 Million Man Rally’ by July 2026.”

“Both events will be held in the South‑East. We are in contact with grassroots structures, and our strategy will make it difficult for Peter Obi to replicate the electoral wave he achieved with the Labour Party in the South‑East states, Lagos and Abuja during the 2023 elections.”

“NDI‑ABAT is fully committed to ensuring that President Tinubu’s victory in the South‑East is not only secured but also protected.”