The South-East chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) has called on prominent Igbo leaders to persuade Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

The group made the call after a meeting on Saturday focused on strategies to secure support for Tinubu across the five South-East states in the 2027 election.

Franklin Ngoforo, leader of the group, said RHGN plans to engage the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, led by John Mbata, as well as prominent Igbo statesmen, including former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku and former Chief of General Staff Ebitu Ukiwe.

According to Ngoforo, the group wants the leaders to form a delegation that would meet with Obi and appeal to him to reconsider his decision to contest the election.

He said the proposed intervention was not aimed at undermining Obi’s political influence, but at encouraging him to consider what he described as the long-term strategic interests of the Igbo people.

Ngoforo argued that the South-East could benefit from building a stronger political relationship with the South-West rather than pursuing the presidency in the 2027 election at all costs.

He said Tinubu, if re-elected, would be constitutionally limited to one additional term, creating an opportunity for the South-East to build political alliances ahead of a future presidential contest.

“Supporting the South-West now could create a political compact that positions the South-East for greater support when power next returns to the South,” Ngoforo said.

He urged Ndigbo to focus on building political goodwill and reciprocal commitments with other regions, rather than viewing the 2027 election solely as a contest to be won or lost.

Ngoforo also appealed to Obi to regard a decision to step aside in 2027 as a postponement of his presidential ambition rather than an end to it.

“The issue is bigger than one election and bigger than one individual,” he said.

He added that the priority for the South-East should be to convert present political alliances into support for its future presidential ambitions.