IHIF replies Wike, says Obi doesn’t need government patronage to win election

The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation (IHIF) has said former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, will secure a landslide victory in Rivers State and across the South-South, and that his support base does not depend on government patronage.

The foundation, under the leadership of Hon Chinedu Nsofor, stated this in response to comments attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, suggesting that Obi’s political strength depends on support from people within government.

In a statement made available to journalists, the group said the question before Nigerians in 2027 is not whether Peter Obi has access to government machinery, but whether a candidate can build national support through character, competence, record of service and confidence of ordinary citizens.

The foundation said its position is detailed in its study, “The Quest for Igbo Presidency”, which argues that assessment of political leadership should be based substantially on past performance.

On that basis, it identified Peter Obi as the consensus presidential candidate of the Igbo for the 2027 election.

According to the group, Obi’s appeal should not be reduced to access to political structures or government resources. It cited his handover record as governor of Anambra State in March 2014, which it said contained local investments, foreign-currency investments, certified state and ministry balances and an approved Federal Government refund, noting that the documentation has been publicly examined and debated.

The foundation said it views Obi’s tenure as emphasising fiscal responsibility, payment of obligations and investment in public infrastructure and human development, contrasting it with what it described as a political culture where public office is sometimes pursued for personal enrichment.

The group said the relationship between the South-East and South-South should be understood within a broader history of political, economic and cultural cooperation, and that political support has historically crossed regional boundaries.

It argued that the 2027 election should not be reduced to a contest between political establishments, ethnic calculations or access to government resources, but should provide an opportunity for Nigerians to examine records, programmes and governing philosophies.

With particular reference to Rivers State, the foundation rejected the assumption that political support can be automatically determined by government structures or financial resources.

“Rivers State has an electorate capable of making its own political judgement,” the statement said, adding that voters will assess competing candidates according to their own interests and experiences.

The foundation said the 2023 presidential election demonstrated that a significant grassroots movement could emerge around a candidate outside the traditional power structure.

The foundation further stated that Peter Obi never needed government money to win elections because the people are “organically with him”.

According to the statement, “the suffering masses are not willing to trade their future with any amount of money, especially with the current hardship APC government has put Nigerians through”.

“No Rivers and South-South person in his right senses will vote APC this time around,” the group said, adding that if Wike believes money will be a major factor in 2027, he should have a rethink because Nigerians are fed up with hardship.

The group also said Wike should be ready to tender his resignation letter by 2pm on election day, as he had promised, because it will be a landslide victory for Peter Obi in the entire South-South with Rivers State not being an exception.

IHIF said its advocacy for an Igbo presidency is not intended to exclude any region, religion or ethnic group, but is based on equity, justice and fairness. It argued that different Nigerian communities have historically sought and received support from other regions in their quest for the presidency.

It therefore called for a national conversation involving the North, South-West, North-Central, South-South and South-East on whether the presidency should continue to rotate among major constituencies.

The group concluded that Nigeria needs performance, not patronage, and urged political leaders to focus on how the economy will be rebuilt, poverty reduced, education and healthcare improved, insecurity addressed, and public resources managed responsibly.