The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Wolrdwide, has described former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as the superior presidential option for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 general election.

Accordingly, the OYC urged former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to withdraw his presidential ambition and, if ADC wishes to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consider deputising as Mr. Peter Obi’s running mate for 2027.

OYC President, Comrade Igboayaka Igboayaka, referenced Nigeria’s tradition of rotating the presidency between north and south, noting, “With the National Chairman of ADC from the north, it’s expected that the presidential candidate should come from the south. As northern Nigeria’s eight-year tenure ended in 2023, the next president should be from the south through to 2031.”

He added, “Mr. Peter Obi is the most competent, credible, and reliable candidate from the south to succeed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Political permutations putting forward a northerner as ADC’s flagbearer in 2027 amount to deliberate political suicide if the party wants to present an alternative to APC.”

Igboayaka called for a southern candidate as ADC’s presidential nominee in 2027 and urged Atiku Abubakar to take the vice-presidential slot: “Atiku should willingly deputise Peter Obi for the sake of Nigeria’s rescue. Such humility would make unprecedented political history. Peter Obi’s popularity is unmatched across Nigeria.”

He declared the most effective route to unseating Tinubu would be a joint ADC ticket with Obi as presidential candidate and Atiku as deputy: “The ADC will be declared winner before 1pm.” Igboayaka further suggested that Atiku could heal long-standing political wounds by taking the vice-presidential candidature, while reinforcing that Ndigbo would reject subordinate political roles in 2027.

He asserted that the ADC would be “categorically rejected and dismantled” by Nigerians if Atiku Abubakar is selected as its presidential candidate for 2027. (The Sun, but headline rejigged)