Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has responded to remarks by Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, who suggested that the South-East region should support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, rather than pursuing an Igbo presidency at this time.

In a statement issued through his media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, Obi emphasized that the decision of who becomes Nigeria’s next president should rest with the voters, not a select group of political elites.

“In a democracy, it is the people who decide who becomes the next president, not any individual,” Obi stated. “Performance and track record will guide the people’s choice — and that’s how it should be.”

Obi further addressed the issue of regional zoning, acknowledging that while such discussions should ideally not dominate political discourse, they have become a necessary arrangement to sustain Nigeria’s unity.

“Ordinarily, we shouldn’t be having talks about regional rotation,” he said. “But since it has become part of our political reality for the sake of unity, the understanding should be respected.”

Governor Umahi had previously argued that the South-East must collaborate with other regions to have a chance at producing Nigeria’s president.

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He noted that the South-West’s alliance with the North had been instrumental in their success.

“The wise thing for the Igbos to do is to tell themselves the truth that we alone cannot make ourselves president,” Umahi remarked. “We have to work with other tribes as the South-West did with the North and have succeeded.”

Obi’s response underscores his belief in the democratic process and the importance of voter agency in determining the nation’s leadership.