Firdaus Obiremi
Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has declared that any Igbo person opposing the 2027 presidential ambition of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, is an enemy of the people of the South-East.
Umeh also cautioned Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, against allegedly working against Obi’s presidential ambition, warning that such a move could amount to an affront to the collective interest of the Igbo people.
The senator made the remarks on Saturday at an event organised by the Knights of St. John International at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Awka, Anambra State.
The gathering was attended by Obi, who is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, and other party members in the state.
Umeh described Obi as the conscience of the Igbo people in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the South-East would be undermining its own political interests if it supported another presidential candidate.
According to him, no Igbo person genuinely committed to the political advancement of the region should oppose Obi’s aspiration.
He said, “Any Igbo man who stands up to say we will not vote for Peter Obi, I’m telling you that he’s an enemy of Igbo people.
“Peter is our conscience in this election. We would be destroying ourselves if we support any other candidate.”
The senator also took a swipe at Soludo, reminding the governor that he played a significant role in his emergence as the state’s chief executive.
Umeh said Soludo occupied the governorship position in trust for the people and should discharge his responsibilities with honour, dignity and a sense of responsibility.
He warned the governor against allegedly using his political position to undermine Obi, insisting that political disagreements should not degenerate into attempts to destroy a fellow Igbo leader.
“I have been hearing a lot of things going on in this state. This government in the state, I helped install it. Nobody came here as the governor of Anambra State since 2003 without my input.
“This one that is serving, I was a principal contributor to his ascending to that office. He’s holding that office in trust for all of us. Anything he does in that office, he must discharge it with honour and nobility.
“It is not by sabotaging our own brother. I’m saying it because anybody who can see him should tell him. We don’t want fight, but let him not commit abomination by wanting to destroy his brother in the name of politics,” Umeh added.
The senator’s comments come amid growing political disagreements between Obi and Soludo, who have had differences over the former governor’s record in office and his political activities.
The disagreement has also taken on a broader political dimension following Soludo’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for re-election in 2027.
The Anambra governor recently declared Tinubu as the preferred presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, for the forthcoming election.
Soludo’s position contrasts sharply with Umeh’s insistence that the South-East should rally behind Obi, setting the stage for a potentially contentious political debate over the region’s preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, is seeking the presidency under the NDC, while the political alignments of influential South-East leaders are expected to play a significant role in shaping the region’s electoral calculations.
Umeh’s intervention has further exposed the divisions among political leaders in Anambra State over the 2027 presidential contest.
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