2027: South-East Needs No Permission to Lead Nigeria, Onoh Fires Back at Sowunmi

Former South-East campaign spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has faulted claims by Segun Sowunmi that Peter Obi and the Obidient movement constitute the biggest obstacles to the emergence of an Igbo president.

Onoh, who chairs the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, described Sowunmi’s position on the Selah Meditate Podcast as a flawed assessment of Nigeria’s political realities and an attempt to undermine the South-East’s quest for national leadership.

In a statement made available to journalists in Lagos, Onoh argued that Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election demonstrated the capacity of the Obidient movement to attract support beyond the South-East.

He cited Obi’s victories in Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory, insisting that the movement could not reasonably be described as exclusively regional or ethnic.

“Peter Obi did not run a regional or ethnic campaign,” Onoh said, maintaining that the movement united Nigerians across ethnic, religious and regional boundaries.

He accused Sowunmi of applying a double standard by criticising the Obidient movement over the conduct of some supporters while overlooking similar behaviour among supporters of other political parties.

Onoh also alleged that the South-East had faced considerable prejudice since the 2023 election, but acknowledged that the conduct of some people from the region towards their host communities could sometimes be inappropriate.

On Sowunmi’s suggestion that Obi should control his supporters, Onoh argued that the Obidient movement was decentralised and citizen-driven, making it unrealistic to expect one leader to police the social media activities of millions of independent supporters.

He further rejected the argument that the economic success of Igbo entrepreneurs should weaken their demand for political representation.

“An ethnic group's resilience, entrepreneurial drive, and ability to survive in a hostile economy do not strip them of the right to demand good governance,” he said.

Onoh maintained that the presence of Igbo businesspeople in real estate, banking, retail and aviation did not diminish their constitutional right to seek equitable representation at the highest levels of government.

He insisted that political negotiations should not require the South-East to apologise for its democratic choices or suppress its ambition to produce Nigeria’s president.

“The South-East does not need a permission slip from political actors who are stuck in old ways of doing things,” Onoh declared.

He said the political momentum generated by Obi’s 2023 campaign should serve as a foundation for building broader national alliances ahead of future elections, rather than being portrayed as an obstacle to an Igbo presidency.

Onoh added that the South-East’s ambition should be pursued through the ballot box, competence and alliances with Nigerians across ethnic and religious lines.