Ndi Igbo: 2027 Is Our Foot in the Door, 2031 Is the Goal

By Hon. Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu

It is time to stop pretending. Ndi Igbo must leave behind emotional outbursts and embrace strategic thinking if we are serious about producing a Nigerian President of Southeast extraction. No zone in Nigeria, not even the South-West, has ever clinched the presidency without strategic alignment with the North. That is the political truth of our federation.

So, what do we really lose if Peter Obi becomes Vice President in 2027 under a firm, documented agreement that he will become President in 2031? Nothing. In fact, we gain everything: national relevance, policy influence, and a pathway back to the centre.

Let us remember: the South-South aligned with the North for Jonathan to emerge; the South-West aligned with the North for Buhari and now Tinubu. When it was our turn in 2023, none of them stood for justice. The truth? There is no such thing as a Southern Agenda. Everyone is out for themselves.

The Southwest has used our 2015 political error, putting all our weight behind Goodluck Jonathan, to sideline us and entrench their dominance. Since then, they have captured the federal structure. But despite their power, Ndi Igbo remain in the cold: excluded from critical appointments, denied infrastructure, and increasingly threatened by insecurity.

Why then should we back Tinubu or any continuation of the current structure in 2027?

The logic of 2027 must not be about Obi vs Atiku. It is about the political survival of Ndi Igbo. A calculated move to reclaim our place at the table. A vice presidency in 2027, coupled with a clear, regionally backed agreement for Obi in 2031, gives us what we’ve lacked for decades: a foot in the door.

The Yoruba were in opposition until they strategically allied with the North in 2015. We can do the same. We must. This is not the time for sentiment. This is the time for vision.

Security Concerns: The Fulani Factor

Understandably, many Igbos fear a realignment with the North due to the growing threat of Fulani herdsmen, forest settlements, and alleged invasion plots across the Southeast. These are legitimate fears, but they are not unsolvable.

Rather than allow these tensions to fester and isolate us politically, we must use them as a negotiating tool. Here’s how:

1. Make Security Guarantees a Condition of Alliance: Any political negotiation with the North must include a binding agreement to disband illegal forest settlements, establish Igbo-led regional vigilantes with federal support, and implement state policing mechanisms.
2. Create a Joint North-East Security Accord: This would involve shared security intelligence, cultural exchange, and investment collaboration that ties economic interests to mutual stability.
3. Demand Northern Endorsement of Igbo Security Architecture: Including recognition and funding of properly trained local vigilante groups in the East, tied to federal security policy, with monitoring from neutral third-party observers.
4. Leverage Our Economic Power: The Igbo economy is deeply interwoven with the North. We can use this relationship to press for a clear security pact as the foundation for any political alliance.

If we fail to negotiate this now, we risk being forever boxed out of the centre, and stuck in perpetual opposition where our grievances echo in a vacuum.

The Path to 2031

Ndi Igbo must not look at 2027 as the finish line. It is the beginning of our re-entry into national reckoning. A Vice Presidency, if structured correctly, is not a demotion; it is a strategic outpost. It allows us to build national goodwill, demonstrate executive competence, and lay the moral groundwork for 2031.

So let us be clear: this is not about Obi as a person. This is about the Southeast as a region. If we miss this moment, we risk another decade in political exile.

Let us think. Let us plan. Let us negotiate with vision.

2027 is our foot in the door. 2031 is the prize.

Hon. Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu is a former house of representatives candidate, a national and international political analyst, media executive, and advocate for Igbo political resurgence.

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