Segun Sowunmi, convener of The Alternative, has the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi and his supporters, known as Obidients, as the biggest obstacles to the South-East producing Nigeria’s president.
Sowunmi said the region needed to build alliances with other parts of the country and reduce political hostility if it hoped to secure the presidency in a multi-ethnic and multicultural nation.
He made the remarks during an interview on the Selah Meditate Podcast, where he discussed the 2027 general election and the prospects of presidential contenders.
“The biggest obstacle I see to the Igbo presidency is Peter Obi and his Obidients. Let me tell you why. Power must be negotiated,” Sowunmi said.
He argued that the South-East should pursue broader political cooperation, beginning with solidarity across the South and extending to the Middle Belt and the northern region.
According to him, securing the presidency requires strategic negotiations and the ability to build relationships beyond one’s immediate ethnic or political constituency.
“You can’t be asking for the presidency in a multi-ethnic, multicultural country when the level of bigotry and hatred and anger is too high,” he said.
Sowunmi also criticised what he described as the hostility displayed by some Obi supporters, arguing that their conduct could alienate potential allies and reinforce negative perceptions of the South-East.
Asked to explain why he considered Obi and the Obidients the biggest obstacles to an Igbo presidency, he pointed to what he described as the irritation their conduct generated among other groups.
“The quality of the irritation that his Obidients create all over,” he said.
“A general has significant responsibility to manage his troops,” he said, adding that political leaders should ensure their supporters did not make statements that could be interpreted as tribal.
Sowunmi contrasted this with Atiku Abubakar’s supporters, saying they could make provocative remarks without necessarily making them tribal.
The political commentator also questioned the apparent contradiction between the economic influence of some Igbo businesspeople and the grievances expressed by them over Nigeria’s political and economic conditions.
He cited their presence in markets, retail, real estate, banking and privately owned airlines, arguing that economic interests should encourage greater engagement with the country’s political system.
