By Ado Oyeyemi
The Igbo Political Movement of the Igbo Delegates Assembly in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.
The group also pledged to mobilise two million votes for the All Progressives Congress during the election, while declaring support for APC candidates contesting governorship and legislative seats across the Northern states and the FCT.
The Director General of the movement, Chief John Amaechi Onwe, announced the endorsement on Saturday during a press conference in Kaduna.
The decision comes despite the candidacy of former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, who is also of Igbo extraction.
Responding to questions on the group’s position on Obi, Onwe said the movement had resolved to support Tinubu, insisting that the decision was not driven by ethnic considerations.
He said the endorsement followed consultations with traders, industrialists, youths, women and community leaders across the 19 Northern states and the FCT, as well as an assessment of the Tinubu administration’s performance over the past three years.
Onwe said the group believed the President’s economic reforms required sufficient time to deliver their full benefits, specifically mentioning the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market.
He also commended the administration’s infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and access roads linked to the Second Niger Bridge, saying improved transport infrastructure would aid the movement of goods and strengthen businesses owned by Igbo traders in the North.
The movement further praised the government’s support for micro, small and medium enterprises, student loan and consumer credit schemes, manufacturing policies, gas development and efforts to improve the ease of doing business.
Onwe also welcomed the increase in the monthly allowance of National Youth Service Corps members from N33,000 to N77,000, describing the adjustment as a demonstration of the government’s concern for the welfare of young Nigerians.
The group, which adopted the theme, “Continuity, Prosperity and Inclusion,” subsequently promised to mobilise its structures across the Northern states and the FCT for the APC in 2027.
It also said it would sensitise its members at the grassroots on the policies of the Tinubu administration and called on Nigerians to reject ethnic politics, division and bitterness.
The movement maintained that Nigeria needed continuity rather than disruption and urged President Tinubu to complete the projects and reforms initiated by his administration.
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It further pledged to support APC candidates seeking governorship and legislative positions across the Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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