Chief Chekwas Okorie, pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and President of Igbo Agenda Dialogue, has predicted that the number of Igbo voters who will support Peter Obi in Lagos State during the 2027 presidential election will be twice the figure recorded in 2023.
Okorie made the statement on Wednesday in Abuja while addressing journalists on the group’s position regarding comments attributed to Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, claims that northerners would not support an Igbo presidential candidate, and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s declaration that Rivers State and the FCT would support President Bola Tinubu.
On Soludo, Okorie said the governor had previously been reminded that he and Obi were both products of APGA. He cited the Osun governorship election as an example of voters choosing their preferred candidates despite the presence and influence of powerful political figures.
He also noted that the victorious Accord Party candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, had expressed support for Tinubu’s reelection despite the political developments surrounding the election.
“We therefore wonder why Professor Soludo would not take a cue from that example.
If you recall, Professor Soludo was the first governor to endorse President Tinubu, even before governors elected on the platform of the APC did so,” he added.
Okorie argued that Soludo’s position was driven by personal grievances and said his group would not be distracted from its wider political objectives.
“My advice to him is to be mindful of the remaining three and a half years of his tenure. If Peter Obi’s party sweeps the Anambra State House of Assembly election, Soludo could find himself dealing with a hostile legislature for the remainder of his administration. That should be his concern.”
He challenged Soludo to demonstrate the level of support Tinubu could attract in Anambra State, recalling that the president received 5.3 per cent of votes cast in the South East during the 2023 presidential election.
“In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu secured only 5.3 per cent of the votes cast in the South east. We will see whether Soludo can increase that figure to 10 per cent.”
On suggestions that northerners would not vote for an Igbo presidential candidate, Okorie described such claims as campaign rhetoric and urged Nigerians to consider the country’s political history.
He recalled the First Republic, when the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons secured the highest number of votes among the political parties that contested the elections, followed by the Northern People’s Congress and the Action Group.
Okorie said Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe could potentially have become prime minister through a coalition with Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but chose to prioritise national stability.
He also cited the historical example of a Fulani candidate who reportedly received electoral support from Igbo voters in Enugu despite the small Fulani population in the area at the time.
According to Okorie, the voters returned the candidate for a second term as an independent after his party declined to nominate him.
He argued that such historical examples demonstrated that political support could cross ethnic boundaries and urged political leaders to educate younger Nigerians about the country’s past.
Turning to Wike, Okorie said the FCT minister should not distract his group from its preparations for the next election.
He recalled that Obi secured approximately 58 per cent of votes cast in the FCT during the 2023 presidential election, while Atiku Abubakar and Tinubu shared the remaining 42 per cent, according to his account.
Okorie also questioned Wike’s claims about his role in Tinubu’s victory in Rivers State, arguing that Obi had lacked a political structure comparable to those of the major parties during the 2023 election.
He said the circumstances raised questions about the influence of political actors and the preferences expressed by voters.
Okorie urged Igbo voters to participate actively in the 2027 election rather than stay away from polling stations.
“Our message to Igbo voters is simple: they should not stay at home on election day. They should go out and vote.
I am confident that the number of Igbo people who will vote in Lagos in 2027 will be twice the number who voted in 2023.
We have arrangements for reaching out to these communities and engaging them directly.”
