The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator Azuta Mbata, has debunked speculations suggesting that the pan-Igbo socio-cultural body has barred people of Igbo extraction from contesting the 2027 presidential election in Nigeria.
Mbata, in a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, dismissed the reports as fake, insisting that Ohanaeze does not interfere in the democratic rights of individuals.
“Any Igbo person who belongs to a political party and wants to contest any elections whatsoever in 2027 is free to do so,” Mbata declared.
He stressed that Ohanaeze is not a political party but a socio-cultural organisation, noting that it lacks the constitutional mandate to restrict or endorse any person for electoral contests in the country.
“Any publications to the contrary is fake news, did not originate from Ohanaeze Ndigbo and should be discounted,” he warned.
According to him, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is a socio-cultural organisation of Ndigbo and not a political party, and is not in a position to say, dictate, or even advise on who should and shouldn’t contest elections in Nigeria in 2027 or at any time for that matter.”
Mbata urged people of the South East to continue to actively participate in their chosen political parties and engage in legitimate political processes as the 2027 general elections draw nearer.
This clarification comes at a time when political discussions around succession and zoning ahead of 2027 are intensifying across Nigeria. okay.ng reports that several Igbo politicians within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have already been tipped as potential contenders.
