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2027: Ndigbo will rely on numerical strength – Okorie *Mobilises 35million Igbo votes
Chekwas Okorie, founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is leading the mobilisation of 35 million Igbo vote strength for the 2027 presidential election, in the belief that it will be a game changer to the political fortunes of the people.
Okorie, himself, once a presidential candidate, in an open letter to Ndigbo, on Monday, told them to take their fate in their hands through massive voter strength by taking advantage of the ongoing voter registration exercise of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to advance their position in the nation’s political space.
In the open letter titled: 2027: Auspicious Opportunity for the Igbo to Reclaim their Political Space in Nigeria, Okorie, Convener of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD), called for the concerted efforts, indicating that he would be leading the mobilisation of 20 million Igbo voters in the South East and an another 15 million from those living in the remaining states outside Igboland.
He wrote: “I wish to commence this letter by reminding us that the Igbo population in Nigeria is unarguably the largest population by ethnic nationality. The Igbo ethnic nationality is by an undisputed wide margin the most geographically spread in Nigeria.
“Notwithstanding the failure of subsequent Nigerian governments to conduct population census since 2006; 20 years ago, studies have shown that Igbo people constitute about ninety-nine percent of the population in the Southeast geopolitical zone and approximately the second largest single ethnic population in the remaining thirty one states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“Studies have also proved that there are indigenous lgbo populations in thirteen of the thirty-six states in Nigeria. In Nigeria’s brand of democracy, electoral victories are predicated on numerical strength and geographical spread.
“It, therefore, follows logically that a politically conscious Igbo electorate has no excuse not to be a critical factor in Nigeria’s political power equation at any given time since the return of democratic governance in Nigeria.”
Regarding the opportunities open for the people in 2027, he added: “This is not the time to apportion blame. The time to take our destiny in our hands and redeem ourselves is now or never.
“The INEC portal remains open for online continuous voters registration. Sadly, findings show that the Southeast is still trailing behind other geopolitical zones by a wide margin.
“Again, it is now possible for already registered voters to change their earlier registered polling units to their preferred polling units online for ease of voting on election day. This innovation has effectively removed the incidence of disenfranchisement by INEC officials or agents.
“The results of the 2023 elections published by INEC showed that the number of registered voters in the Southeast geopolitical zone was 11.5m, and the number of voters who participated in the presidential election was 2.2m.
“In spite of the fact that the Southeast recorded the least number of registered voters per geopolitical zone, the matter was worsened by the fact that a whopping 9.3m registered voters did not participate in the 2023 presidential election. We cannot continue to do this to ourselves.”
The former APGA boss, while bemoaning the effect of lack of interest in the electoral process, listed areas such apathy took a toll on the people, saying the situation must be reversed in the interest of Ndigbo.
Hear him: “Failure to register as a voter amounts to self-denial of one’s inalienable rights to participate in the recruitment of your preferred representative, governor, and president at all levels.
“Refusing to vote in the election means that you have inadvertently and unwittingly voted for the person or persons you ordinarily would not want to represent or govern you.
“In the likely event of a referendum or a plebiscite for self-determination, state creation, or the recall of a failed representative, only those with their valid voters cards will be eligible to participate in such crucial events.
“In the absence of a credible population census, it is the quantum of votes recorded by the Igbo that will be the yardstick to weigh Igbo political relevance in Nigeria.
“Igbo participation in the recruitment of elected leaders where they are domiciled anywhere in Nigeria immediately becomes their bargaining chip in making claims and demands for patronages and inclusiveness in those places.”
Stressing the efforts of the IAD to mobilise the people, he said its leadership, in active consultation and collaboration with a network of Igbo stakeholders, extant Igbo unions, Associations, Women Organizations, Youth Groups, Civil Society, and Pro-democracy organizations had agreed to embark on proactive and robust advocacy to promote Igbo political consciousness on a non-partisan basis.
He added: “The effort will include, but is not limited to town hall meetings to be held in major cities across the length and breadth of Nigeria. IAD has incorporated and established a functional office in the United States of America to coordinate and engage the vast Igbo diaspora population.
“We have set for ourselves the modest, realizable, and measurable target of ensuring that by the end of the ongoing window of the continuous voters registration exercise, the Southeast Geopolitical zone should be able to record an impressive figure of 20 million registered voters. In the same token, we project to mobilize about 15 million aggregate number of Igbo registered voters in the rest of the country.
“We are confident that with a minimum of 35 million Igbo voting bloc for the 2027 general elections, Ndigbo will be on their way to Igbo political resurgence and restoration of our long lost relevance and respect in Nigeria.”
Legal fireworks will resume before Emeka Nwite, at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday, April 14 in the attempt by Nafiu Bala Gombe, to take over the leadership of African Democratic Congress (ADC), from David Mark, previously recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Recall that it is against the backdrop that the ADC is currently without any leadership based on the interpretation of the electoral body of the decision of the Court of Appeal, directing all parties in the dispute to maintain status quo ante bellum in the matter.
The commission, had a fortnight ago, stripped Mark and Rauf Aregbesola of recognition, as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively on this account, marking a new turn in the legal issue which erupted after Gombe, former National Vice Chairman, began laying claim to Mark’s position.
His contention, in a suit brought before the court, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listing Mark, Aregbesola INEC, and Ralph Nwosu, the party’s founder and former National Chairman, as defendants, was that having not resigned his position, he ought to have assumed the office after Nwosu’s resignation, in line with the constitution of the party.
Having subsequently pronouncing himself National Chairman, had in the suit, filed on September 2, 2025, sought to restrain INEC from recognising National Working Committee (NWK), led by Mark, a former Senate President.
Based on Gombe’s suit ex-parte, which also sought to stop the party from holding meetings, congresses, or conventions pending the determination of the suit, Nwite, had directed Mark, INEC and others to be put on notice to show cause why the motion should not be granted.
But Mark, unhappy with the decision, had rushed to the appellate court to determine the jurisdiction on Nwite to interfere with the matter, leading to the decision on March 12, 2026, as the court ordered him to return to the lower court, having failed to obtain its leave to file the appeal.
The decision of INEC, which came via a statement on April 1, not to recognise either Mark or Gombe, not only left the ADC in a limbo, but thrown a serious anxiety within the Nigerian polity, leading to a massive protest by the party and supporters, who it as part of their suspicion of a plot by President Bola Tinubu to foist a one-party state in Nigeria by killing all the strong oppositions.
In a motion filed on April 7 by Sulaiman Usman, (SAN), seeking an accelerated hearing of the case, Mark, also urged the lower court to compel INEC to restore his name and that of other members and recognise them as members of the party’s NWC,
Backed with a preliminary objection challenging the competence of the suit, he also argued that Bala lacked the locus standi to institute the action, having resigned his position as national vice-chairman of the party.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday, told Nigerians to take a look at the situation in neighbouring countries to ascertain what true suffering really means, insisting that he has made the country better for everybody.
The President, who spoke against the backdrop of the massive groaning in the country, was particular about the hardship occasioned by the cost of petroleum products, made so by the conflict in the Middle East, where Iran is facing attacks from Israel and the United States.
Urging for patience among the people, Tinubu, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where he inaugurated some projects, said: “I hear you from various angles of the economy. The fuel price is biting hard, but look around, let’s just thank God together that you are better off
“Listen to them in Kenya, in other African countries, what they are going through. We will not look back. We will continue to find ways to ameliorate the suffering of the vulnerable. This is a government that cares.
“I am glad the Head of Service is here. Look at the numbers with the finance, economic planning, and budgeting, and we will see what we can do to ease the burden.
“But that is the development; the burden of it is what we are facing today. The challenge of the war we didn’t call for, but the effect of the interrelated world that we share. Both the joy and pain of it are universal.”
The President’s position came on the heels of another sharp rise in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), now put at close to N1, 400 per litre from the about N870 before the hostilities in the Iran, which led to major difficulties in the operation of global oil industry.
The situation was particularly worsened by the decision of Iran to restrict the movement of vessels carrying crude through the strait of Houmous, a major transit hob for the commodity to various parts of the world.
Nafiu Bala Gombe, the man on whose behalf the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently in a prostrate state, has admitted to getting outside help in prosecuting his legal matters against the David Mark camp.
Recall that Mark, former Senate President and Rauf Aregbesola were, last week, derecognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and had their names struck out based on the case filed by Gombe on September 2, 2025.
The commission had relied on the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo ante bellum, which it interpreted to mean that it should not deal with either side.
Against the backdrop of the dust the matter had raised across the country, the embattled ADC leadership, had accused the former Deputy Chairman of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to play the spoiler role to enable President Bola Tinubu have no challenge in the 2027 presidential election.
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the Mark camp, had last week, stated this much when he wondered how Gombe, who on his own could not afford an ordinary lawyer, going by his financial status, would now be hiring more than three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to represent him, which would probably run into tens of millions of naira.
Reacting on Tuesday, Gombe admitted getting outside help, but added that such assistance was not coming from government quarters or the APC, but from public-spirited individuals and Nigerians averse to the injustice being meted out to him.
Abimuku Monday, spokesman to Gombe, who spoke during an appearance on Morning Briefs, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, told his host: “Before now, they were saying these people are big weights and we’re light weights. Now, we’re suddenly being seen as human beings. Earlier, we were seen as nobodies – as boys who don’t have capacity to challenge this in court.
“They say Nafiu Bala does not even have money to pursue his case. You see, that’s how they reduce people by their own estimation. They don’t find out who people. They have forgotten that for you to seek legal actions, there are so many ways to go about it.
“It is either you use your own money or your personal relationship with people. Does it mean that somebody in politics cannot have his own friends or cannot have lawyers as his friend or cannot have other members of the society as his friends.
“These are not members of the APC. They don’t belong to any party. They’re citizens of this country, who mean well for Nigeria. Nobody is scuttling the coalition. The fact remains that if you have a challenge, people will rally around you knowing it’s a good cause you’re fighting. People will rally around you to give you the necessary support that you need. They even called my principal a small boy.”
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