Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, others for town hall in Enugu

Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), yesterday, warned against actions that could undermine the 2027 general elections, saying that Nigerians would not be ready to accept flawed election results.

In a communiqué on the state of the nation after their meeting, jointly signed by its President, Prof. Elo Amucheazi, and Secretary, Prof. Dozie Chukwuokolo, the group condemned anti-democratic tendencies being orchestrated to weaken the opposition, ahead of the 2027 general election.

They also questioned the motive behind the adoption of the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket by the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a country where “Christians are more populous than Muslims.”

The Igbo leaders comprising traditional rulers, religious leaders, technocrats and academia demanded the intervention of the United States of America (U.S.A) to stem the rising spate of genocide and ensure a free, fair and credible election in Nigeria next year.   The statement added: “ILT observed certain anti-democratic tendencies being orchestrated by the Presidency, like the stifling of the opposition and inflammatory comments such as ‘there is no vacancy in Aso Rock’ an
d the one the President told the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) that ‘all is fair in politics.

“Some of these comments have been interpreted to mean that the president cannot be removed from office by fair ballots. We join all patriotic people of the world to demand that fair, free and credible elections must be conducted.

“ILT joins the patriots in reminding the President that world powers are on the watch over the 2027 elections and demand that election results must be transmitted appropriately and in real time. Nigerians are not ready to accept flawed election results.”

Revisiting the travails of the leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, ILT again demanded his release, describing his continued incarceration as a depiction of the hatred and treatment of Igbo in Nigeria.

MEANWHILE, two Igbo elite groups, Ogbako Ndigbo Nile Worldwide (ONN), led by John Nwobodo, and Igbo Leadership Development Foundation (ILDF), led by Dr Godwin Udibe, have partnered to co-host an Igbo town hall meeting to interface with Nigeria’s 2027 presidential candidates.

According to the organisers, the epoch-making event would be held on October 5, 2026, at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu.

The gathering will bring together Igbo of the five South-East states and Igbo from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Benue and Kogi states.

The town hall meeting will provide a two-way flow of interaction between Ndigbo and the contenders for the highest office in the land.  In anticipation of the event, the two Igbo organisations have constituted a joint expert committee to articulate the minimum demands of Ndigbo and expectations for 2027.

The presidential hopefuls are expected to use the event to showcase their manifestos and programmes for Ndigbo and the entire Nigeria.