By CHARLES IWUOHA

Apex Igbo Socio-cultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to embark on overhaul of economic reforms, national restructuring, accelerating of ongoing infrastructural projects, mitigation of insecurity, and massive food security.

Ohanaeze said focusing on these issues would make the presidency to overcome the prevailing political realities confronting the nation especially the challenges of the 2027 general elections coalition.

The pan lgbo Organisation stated that the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, which portends the potential loss of approximately twelve million votes for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), undeniably presents a significant challenge.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the factional Deputy President- General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze urged the Presidency to resist the temptation to abandon the sacred responsibilities of governance for the fleeting allure of partisan politicking.

According to the statement, the opposition coalition—comprising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and other political actors are strategically positioning itself to inherit the Northern political structure left vulnerable by the late President Buhari.

Part of the statement reads: "Their calculated design is to put President Tinubu in a political quagmire, thereby diverting his administration’s focus from the critical task of delivering democratic dividends to the Nigerian people. It is imperative to emphasize that Nigerians do not desire an octogenarian presidency in 2027.

"At seventy-eight years of age, Atiku Abubakar does not constitute a credible threat to President Tinubu’s re-election ambitions. The true political challenge emanates from Mr. Peter Obi, whose ascendancy demands that the Presidency urgently recalibrate its strategies.

"Without a decisive shift in approach—particularly in addressing Nigeria’s fundamental needs—the prospect of President Tinubu securing victory in 2027 will be severely compromised. The Federal Government must embark on a comprehensive overhaul of its policies, with an unwavering focus on economic reforms, national restructuring, acceleration of ongoing infrastructural projects, mitigation of insecurity, and assurance of food security.

"These domains must constitute the cardinal priorities of the administration to restore the confidence of Nigerians and demonstrate an unassailable commitment to good governance. The pursuit of the late President Buhari’s erstwhile support base, while politically tempting, is a booby trap meticulously laid by the opposition coalition to distract the Presidency from its sacred mandate of service delivery.

"Ohanaeze Ndigbo asserts, without equivocation, that the principal political headache confronting the Presidency is not Atiku Abubakar’s waning presidential ambition—which is widely acknowledged as untenable—but rather the burgeoning political ambition of Peter Obi.

"With twenty months remaining before the 2027 elections, the administration has ample opportunity to consolidate its achievements and present a compelling record of verified projects and policies that tangibly improve the lives of Nigerians.

It reiterated the urgent and non-negotiable demands of the Igbo nation; the establishment of the sixth Southeast state, the reopening of the Calabar seaport, the completion of all ongoing federal road projects, the modernization of railway infrastructure through the replacement of single gauge lines with standard gauge railways, and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu.

The Igbo people remain steadfast in their support for the Federal Government, contingent upon meaningful progress in these critical areas.

The group expressed profound bewilderment at the palpable uneasiness within the Presidency regarding Peter Obi’s political influence, especially given that Senator David Umahi, an accomplished Governor of Ebonyi State and former Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, serves in President Tinubu’s cabinet.”

Ohanaeze Ndigbo urged the Presidency to eschew distractions, embrace prudent governance, and focus unwaveringly on delivering the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians.