2027: We’re Yet to Pick Presidential Candidate —Northern Igbo Assembly

By Auwal Abdullah

The Igbo Delegates Assembly (IDA), representing Ndigbo across the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, has said it is yet to adopt any presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Assembly said it was currently assessing the major presidential contenders, their programmes, policies, antecedents and commitments before deciding which candidate would best serve the interests and aspirations of Ndigbo.

The position followed reports claiming that the Igbo Political Movement of the Assembly had endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term and was targeting two million votes for him in the 2027 presidential election.

However, the IDA, in a statement signed by its President-General, Chief Kenneth Okeugo, and Secretary-General, Hon. Donatus Nwugo, categorically dissociated itself from the purported endorsement.

The Assembly said no individual, group or organisation had been authorised to commit it to any presidential candidate without the approval of its appropriate organs.

According to the leadership, the Assembly has constituted a committee, chaired by one of its Zonal Deputy President-Generals, to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the political landscape and evaluate the presidential candidates and their positions on issues affecting Ndigbo.

The committee’s report, it said, will be considered at the Assembly’s last Quarterly Meeting preceding the 2027 presidential election, after which a decision on whether to adopt or support a candidate will be taken.

The development effectively leaves open the political alignment of a significant bloc of Ndigbo resident in Northern Nigeria and the FCT as the 2027 election approaches.

The Assembly also rejected the reported two-million-vote target, describing it as a gross underestimation of the electoral strength and political value of Ndigbo across the North and FCT.

It warned against attempts to appropriate or present the votes of Ndigbo as already committed to any candidate without due consultation and authorisation.

The IDA urged Ndigbo and the general public to disregard reports suggesting that it had already chosen a presidential candidate, stressing that its eventual position would be guided by the candidate and political platform offering the most credible pathway to advancing the interests, security, unity, dignity and prosperity of Ndigbo.