Group gives reasons for Obi’s endorsement

• Calls for support in South East

From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation (IHIF) has given reasons for endorsing Peter Obi as consensus candidate of the Igbo for the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigeria needs a leader with proven financial discipline to end the country’s rising debt profile.

In a statement released by the National Coordinator of the group, Hon. Chinedu Nsofor, yesterday, the group said the decision to back Obi was based on performance records, rather than ethnicity, religion, or regional affiliation.

“To ensure success, the person so chosen must have proven his mettle in various fields of human endeavour in the past,” the group said. “As the 2027 elections are approaching, Nigerians should be guided by this.”

The group faulted the debt profiles under the last two administrations. It claimed that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari borrowed about N83 trillion in eight years, while President Bola Tinubu has, allegedly, borrowed about N158 trillion in less than three years of his first term.

It also raised concerns over security, saying killings and kidnappings, including school children, have become a daily occurrence. It described prudent financial management and competent economic administration as critical to addressing the current situation.

The group welcomed the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) for zoning its presidential ticket to the South. It urged the South to, in turn, zone the ticket to the South East, noting that the North, South-West and South-South have all produced presidents since 1999.

It listed former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari, and the current President Tinubu as beneficiaries of the rotational arrangement, and argued that excluding the South East amounts to injustice.

“Let it be known that when equals are treated unequally, it is injustice,” the statement said.

The group pointed to Obi’s eight years as governor of Anambra State as evidence of his capacity. It said he left office with a debt-free administration, with salaries, pensions, and contractors paid, and with handover balances of $150 million and N75 billion to his successor.

It also cited his background in the private sector, saying he managed flourishing business concerns before entering politics and is, therefore, “not coming to enrich himself.”

The group further recalled Obi’s 2023 presidential run under the Labour Party, where it said he won in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, and his earlier decision to accept a running mate role before developments in the People’s Democratic Party led him elsewhere. It said his recent defection to the NDC followed disputes in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The group urged Nigerians to vote for any party that fields Obi as its presidential candidate, specifically mentioning the NDC for presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and state assembly seats. It said a four-year single term would be consistent with the current North-South rotation and would allow performance to determine any further tenure.

“Peter Obi possesses these sterling qualities and more. He is gunning to be given the chance to offer his services for the good and upliftment of his country,” the group said.

Nsofor concluded that Nigeria “requires a change of leadership” and that Obi’s track record in Anambra shows he can shift the country “from consumer to producer nation.”