A social-political and development group, the New Nigeria Group, said it was repositioning to offer Nigerians the opportunity to elect credible leaders in the forthcoming 2027 National Assembly and presidential polls.

To achieve this, the group said it is urging Nigerians to beam their searchlight on the pedigree, competence and character of those vying for political offices ahead of the election year.

Convener of the New Nigeria Group, Pharmacist Sam Ohuabunwa, stated this during a meeting with journalists in Abakaliki yesterday.

“Actually, God has given me a vision which I now call the New Nigeria Group. That vision was given to me in 2009 when I wrote a book titled “Nigeria at 50: Time for the Evolution of a New Nation”. I shared my thoughts on how Nigeria can be governed to be the kind of country we are all looking for in that book. I gave the book out liberally — I remember giving three copies to former President Goodluck Jonathan.”

I took the first copy to his office. I gave him the second copy when he came to Lagos for an event, and at another event, I gave him the third copy, and he looked at it and said, ‘Mazi, you gave me this book before.’ And I said, ‘If I see you act towards what I wrote in this book, I would know you have read it,’ and he laughed.

“But in 2019, I had a revelation that what I wrote in that book should not just be for other people, that I should also be part of the system to see it realised. We started talking about the New Nigeria Group in 2019, before it started getting popular among Nigerians.

Ohuabunwa said they first wanted to create a nation that would be developed, preferably a first-world nation, and also one that would work for all.