‘Why Northern Igbos Have Chosen Tinubu Over Opposition’

A political movement representing Igbo communities across Northern Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory has declared its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Ireporter Online, the Director-General of the Igbo Political Movement in the 19 Northern States and the FCT said the group was established to enable Igbos living in the region to participate more actively in the politics of Northern Nigeria and the country at large.

The movement is linked to the Igbo Delegate Assembly, which brings together Igbo indigenes across the Northern states and the FCT.

The group said it had decided to abandon its previous approach of supporting opposition parties, arguing that such a strategy had not delivered the political influence and benefits it expected for its members.

The Director-General said the movement would support the government in power at both the federal and state levels and back APC candidates who emerge for elective positions, including governorship, state and National Assembly elections.

He claimed that about 15 million Igbos live across Northern Nigeria and the FCT, stressing that the community’s votes could play a significant role in elections.

Explaining the decision to support Tinubu, he cited what he described as greater political inclusiveness under the current administration.

He pointed to the appointment of prominent Igbo officers to senior military positions, including a former Chief of Naval Staff and the serving Chief of the Air Staff, as examples of what the group considers increased inclusion.

He also referenced infrastructure projects in the South-East, including the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway and Enugu-Aba Road, arguing that developments in the region would also benefit Igbos living in the North.

The group maintained that being Igbo does not prevent its members from identifying with the political and economic interests of the region where they live and work.

The Director-General said he had spent 36 years in Northern Nigeria and believed his long association with the region made it necessary for him to consider its interests while maintaining his Igbo identity.

On the 2027 presidential election, the movement said it had established a grassroots mobilisation structure involving Igbo leaders across the 19 Northern states and the FCT.

According to him, the structure includes state presidents, local government chairmen, town union leaders and other grassroots officials who are expected to coordinate the mobilisation effort.

The movement has set a target of delivering at least two million votes to President Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The Director-General said the group intends to achieve the target by mobilising voters across the Northern states and the FCT, with a proposed benchmark of about 100,000 votes from each state.

He expressed confidence in the group’s organisational structure, insisting that its network would enable it to reach voters at the grassroots.

The movement also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, arguing that states had become better positioned to meet their financial obligations and that the country’s economy was gradually improving.

On the removal of fuel subsidy, the group leader rejected calls for its restoration, arguing that subsidy benefits were disproportionately enjoyed by people who consume more petrol, particularly owners of multiple vehicles.

He instead advocated policies that would provide more direct benefits to ordinary Nigerians who may not own vehicles or directly benefit from subsidised petrol.

The movement said its decision to support the APC was collective and that it intended to participate actively in Northern politics while pursuing what it described as the interests of Igbo communities living in the region.