Soludo’s Endorsement of Tinubu Meaningless – Njiko Igbo Forum

The Njiko Igbo Forum (NIF), an affiliate of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has dismissed Governor Charles Soludo’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term, describing it as politically inconsequential.

Recall that Governor Soludo, during President Tinubu’s recent visit to Anambra State, declared that his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

However, in a statement issued to journalists on Wednesday, President of the Njiko Igbo Forum, Rev. Dr. Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, insisted that the South-East would not be swayed by such endorsements.

“No amount of so-called adoption of Tinubu for 2027 by Soludo will turn Igbo votes to Tinubu,” Obioha stated, adding that “the Igbo and particularly the South-East electorates will give Tinubu 5% votes in 2027, an increase from the 3% he had in the 2023 elections.”

Obioha said the NIF supports ongoing national calls for electoral reforms, particularly the compulsory electronic transmission of election results in real-time, especially during presidential elections.

Addressing Tinubu’s chances in the South-East, Obioha declared, “There is no amount of promises made by Tinubu to any governor or to the South-East on infrastructure development that will sway the Igbo vote in his favour.”

He accused the Tinubu administration of failing to deliver on key campaign promises, particularly those related to railway and train services in the region.

“We were promised strategic infrastructure like railways by the Buhari-Tinubu campaign in 2022, but today, railway lines in the South-East are more dilapidated and moribund than ever,” he noted, adding that train services function efficiently in other parts of the country but not in the Igbo region.

Obioha also criticized Tinubu’s appointments, describing them as nepotistic and in violation of the Federal Character principle.

“The nepotistic attitude of Tinubu in appointing a section of the country (Yoruba) to key positions speaks volumes of what would happen in a second tenure,” he said.

He urged Igbos nationwide not to be deceived by “political rhetoric and false representations” aimed at returning Tinubu to power in 2027.

Obioha further declared former presidential candidate Peter Obi as “the only credible and nationally acceptable candidate for 2027 from the South-East.”

“2023, for equity and justice, was the turn of the South-East, but the inordinately ambitious grabbed the mandate and have since been struggling to govern successfully,” he said.

NIF, according to Obioha, believes that since 2027 marks the final four years allocated to the South under the zoning agreement, it must be ceded to the South-East.

“Let all hands be on deck to save the sinking ship called Nigeria by allowing the South-East produce the next President in 2027. That will be true justice and one Nigeria indeed,” he concluded.