Tinubu’s 2027 Bid Gets Boost as Northern Igbos Target 2m Votes

Igbo residents across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have declared their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, targeting at least two million votes for the president.

Director-General of the Igbo Political Movement, 19 Northern States and FCT, Chief John Amaechi Onwe, disclosed this while speaking with journalists.

Onwe said the decision followed the group’s resolve to take a more active role in the political affairs of Northern Nigeria rather than continue to operate as an opposition bloc.

According to him, the movement has established a grassroots political structure comprising presidents of Igbo communities across the 19 northern states and the FCT, state-level leaders, local government chairmen and town union structures.

He said the structures would be deployed to mobilise support for Tinubu and the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

Onwe explained that the Igbo Political Movement was an offshoot of the Igbo Delegate Assembly, which he described as a body representing Igbo indigenes across Northern Nigeria and the FCT.

He argued that Igbo residents in the North constitute a significant voting population and should therefore be taken seriously by political parties and candidates seeking elective offices in the region.

The Igbo leader said the community had collectively decided to abandon opposition politics and support the government in power.

“We, the Igbos in Northern Nigeria, are no longer ready to play opposition. We have done that in the past and it has not worked for us. So, collectively, we have agreed to support the government of the day, from the national level down to the states,” Onwe said.

Onwe also defended the economic policies of the Tinubu administration, acknowledging the difficulties currently being experienced by Nigerians but arguing that the ongoing reforms were aimed at laying the foundation for a stronger economy.

He appealed to Nigerians to remain patient and be willing to make sacrifices as the government works to address the country’s economic challenges.

He maintained that greater political participation and support for the government would enable the Igbo community in the North to have a stronger voice in the political process and influence policies affecting its members.