Umahi says Obi is not South-East's best as Igbo group backs Obi for 2027

Two messages on the South-East and the 2027 presidency landed this week, and they point in different directions.

Minister of Works David Umahi said Peter Obi is not the best presidential material the region can offer, in an interview with Arise News on Friday. He argued that Obi did not consult governors and other political leaders in the South-East before running in 2023.

"Peter Obi is not the best of our finest in South East. He's not the best, he can never be the best," Umahi said, according to Punch and Vanguard.

Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, said anyone hoping to carry the region's expectations should first sit with its stakeholders. "You cannot play politics in South East without consulting people like us," he said.

He also pushed back on the idea that Anambra State should automatically produce the president whenever the South-East gets the chance. He noted that Nigeria's first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, came from the area that is now Anambra, and said Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo should also be considered.

Umahi defended South-East leaders who back President Bola Tinubu, saying their choice should not be treated as a betrayal of the region. In his view, the road to the presidency runs through alliances with other parts of Nigeria.

Igbo group endorses Obi and Kwankwaso

Two days earlier, the Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD) endorsed Obi, the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for the January 16, 2027 election.

The group's national chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, announced the decision at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday. He said it followed consultations with Igbo unions, market associations, women's and youth groups, and civil society organisations at home and abroad.

"We came to the unanimous resolution that it will be in the best interest of Nigeria to elect Mr. Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress as the President of Nigeria come January 16, 2027," Okorie said.

He said the group weighed the candidates' records in public office, their concern for Nigerians and how they managed public resources. He described Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, as an asset to the ticket.

The IAD also dismissed the backing of Tinubu by Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. Okorie said the group would not be distracted by individual officeholders, and challenged Soludo to show his electoral weight in Anambra.

He urged Igbo voters not to stay home on election day, and said the group would mobilise through community networks, phones and direct contact, including in Lagos and the diaspora.

Okorie also called for peaceful campaigns and warned against ethnic rhetoric, pointing to history: the NCNC's alliance with the NPC after independence, and the election of Alhaji Umaru Altine, a Fulani politician, as Enugu's first mayor.

What happens next

Both camps agree the South-East should produce a president; they differ on who and how. With the election set for January 16, 2027, expect more endorsements, and more arguments over whether consultation or popular support should decide the region's candidate.