We Are 25% Of voters in 31 States, will elect Obi in 2027 – IAD

By John Alechenu, Abuja The Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD) has endorsed Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the January 16, 2027 presidential election, claiming that Igbo people constitute at least 25 per cent of voters in 31 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The National Chairman of IAD and founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, announced the endorsement in Abuja on Wednesday. He described IAD as an Igbo political network linked to Igbo unions, market associations, women and youth groups in Nigeria and the diaspora.

Okorie traced the history of Igbo political collaboration with other ethnic groups, saying the community had consistently supported alliances aimed at promoting national unity. He recalled that Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe led the independence struggle and that his party, the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), entered a coalition with the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), paving the way for Alhaji Tafawa Balewa to become Prime Minister in 1960. He also cited the Second Republic, when Azikiwe’s Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) allied with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to form a government.

According to Okorie, during the transition programme of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Igbo leaders met at Modotel Hotel in Enugu and invested politically in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after Dr Alex Ekwueme was assured of support from his northern political associates for the presidency. He said the South-East subsequently supported the PDP across elective positions but alleged that Ekwueme was denied the party’s presidential ticket at its Jos convention. Okorie said IAD assessed the leading contenders for the 2027 presidential election based on their records, empathy, fitness, probity and prudence before consulting widely and settling on Obi.

“We came to the unanimous resolution that it will be in the best interest of Nigeria to elect Mr Peter Obi,” he said. He claimed Obi enjoyed support across ethnic and religious lines and was the most globally visible contender in the presidential race. Okorie said Nigerians had long been governed by ageing political leaders and argued that the 2027 election offered an opportunity to elect a compassionate and prudent leader, despite what he described as intimidation.

On the demographic strength of the Igbo electorate, he s… By John Alechenu, Abuja The Igbo Agenda Dialogue, IAD, has endorsed Mr Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Party, NDC, for the January 16, 2027 presidential election, declaring that Igbo people constitute at least 25 per cent of voters in 31 states and the FCT. IAD National Chairman and APGA founder, Chief Chekwas Okorie, announced this in Abuja on Wednesday.

He described IAD as the Igbo political grid, linked to Igbo unions, market associations, women and youth groups at home and in the diaspora. Okorie traced Igbo political collaboration for national unity. In the Second Republic, Azikiwe’s NPP again allied with the NPN to form a stable government.