Former Commissioner and ex-chairman of Atiku Abubakar’s campaign structure in Abia State, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, has stressed the importance of Southern unity in Nigeria’s next presidential contest.
Speaking in Umuahia, the APC stalwart urged the South East and South South to close ranks with the South West to guarantee the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, arguing that political equity requires the South to serve out its full eight years before handing over to the North.
Ogbonnaya questioned why coalition politics has suddenly become a tool for some actors, pointing out that no such moves were considered during Buhari’s two terms. He described such alliances as subtle ploys to undermine the South.
“I had once raised the alarm that some of us in the South are allowing ourselves to be manipulated to work against our own interest. It is time we see through this and form a common front,” he cautioned.
The APC leader listed several policies of the Tinubu administration—including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), reforms in the forex sector, and increased state allocations—as reasons Southerners should avoid internal wrangling.