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 account for 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.
Okorie described IAD as an Igbo political network connected to Igbo unions, market associations, women and youth groups across Nigeria and in the diaspora.
He highlighted the history of political alliances between Igbo leaders and other ethnic groups, arguing that the community had consistently supported partnerships aimed at promoting national unity.
He recalled that Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe played a prominent role in the independence struggle and that his party, the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), formed a coalition with the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), leading to Alhaji Tafawa Balewa becoming Prime Minister in 1960.
Okorie also referenced the Second Republic, when Azikiwe’s Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) formed an alliance with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to establish a government.
He further recalled that during the transition programme of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Igbo leaders met at Modotel Hotel in Enugu and politically invested in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after Dr Alex Ekwueme was reportedly assured of support from his northern political associates for the presidency.
According to Okorie, the South-East subsequently backed the PDP across various elective positions, but Ekwueme was denied the party’s presidential ticket at its convention in Jos.
He said IAD evaluated the leading contenders for the 2027 presidential election based on their records, empathy, fitness, probity and prudence before conducting consultations and choosing Obi.
“We came to the unanimous resolution that it will be in the best interest of Nigeria to elect Mr Peter Obi,” he said.
Okorie claimed that Obi enjoyed support across ethnic and religious boundaries and was the most globally visible contender in the presidential race.
He argued that Nigeria had long been governed by ageing political leaders and said the 2027 election presented an opportunity to elect a compassionate and prudent leader, despite what he described as intimidation.
Speaking on the voting strength of the Igbo population, Okorie said: “Igbo people constitute a minimum of 25% of the voting population in each of the 31 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory or the second largest population to the indigenous population of these states while constituting over 99% of the voting population in the five states in the South East.”
He also announced that Obi would run alongside former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as his running mate.
The IAD chairman urged other Igbo politicians to prioritise issues affecting Nigerians in their political campaigns.
To demonstrate what he described as the Igbo people’s tradition of accommodating other ethnic groups, Okorie cited the election of Alhaji Umaru Altine, a Fulani man from Sifawa in present-day Sokoto State, as Enugu’s first mayor under the NCNC during the First Republic.
He said Altine was later re-elected as an independent candidate after losing the NCNC ticket.
Okorie also recalled that Chief (Mrs) H.I.D. Awolowo was appointed Minister without Portfolio by the then Premier of the Eastern Region, Dr M.I. Okpara, while her husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was imprisoned in Calabar.
He said the appointment came with full official benefits, including a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz.
Okorie added that IAD would intensify mobilisation through its network to campaign for Obi’s victory in the 2027 presidential election.