Follow Us on Google
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Anambra governor and 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and some Igbo leaders, yesterday, met in Abuja over the 2027 general election.
Obi, who spoke with journalists after the parley, which lasted for over two hours at Jonathan Maitiama residence, said the meeting was part of ongoing consultation between Igbo leaders and eminent Nigerians across the country, in the run-up to the next year’s polls.
The South East delegation included former Enugu State governor, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo; former for Imo State governor, Achike Udenwa, former managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Senator Victor Umeh among others.
Obi, who came third in the 2023 polls is aspiring for the Presidency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Apart from him, others aspiring for the ADC presidential ticket include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi and former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
However, Igbo leaders have been pushing for the South East to produce a president for the country in 2027 and have been reaching out to other sections of the country for support.
Since the inception of the present democratic dispensation, the South East is the only zone in the country that has neither produced a president or vice president.
Other News
The former Anambra governor, who did not disclose the details of the meeting, said Jonathan wished the country well , wishing that the country would have a free, fair and credible election in 2027.
“We, some notable South East leaders, have come in consultation to our respected former President Goodluck Jonathan, That’s basically what it is; in the 2027 elections, and it is all about Nigeria. South East leaders, and you can see all of us here.
“We have gone to see former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former president Ibrahim Babangida and others . So that is the category we are seeing now.
“We need to consult them, because especially someone like him (Jonathan) who served the country very faithfully, focused, and did what is expected of democracy. In this declining situation, you consult him. We just came for consultation on the 2027 election. As a father, he wished the country well.
“He wished that we had a free, fair, credible election. That would be his wish. There can’t be one party system. He cannot support such a thing. Nobody can claim to be more of a democrat in this country than Jonathan.”
Responding to a question on whether President Jonathan endorsed his aspiration, Obi noted that, “we are not talking about an endorsement yet. When I become a candidate, I will come back for endorsement.”
