By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The apex socio-cultural organization of Ndigbo, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, has strongly refuted claims suggesting that it has barred Igbo sons/daughters from contesting the 2027 Presidential Election.
The body stated that all politically active persons of Igbo extraction are free to exercise their civic obligations and rights as it has not placed any ban on anybody or groups from participating in the country’s democratic process.
The Ohaneze Ndigbo position is coming against the backdrop of the statement made by one Okechukwu Isiguzo and cohort, one Thompson Ohia, in Abakaliki Ebonyi State last week claiming that no Igbo person will vie for the presidency in 2027, as the people have endorsed the second term bid of President Bola Tinubu.
Instructively, Isiguzo,and his co-travellers have always been parroting a nebulous factional Ohaneze Ndigbo in the recent past to hoodwink,and mislead the unsuspecting public, as well as to massage their interests.
The non-existent Ohaneze Ndigbo faction, also, claimed that the decision to stop all Igbo persons from contesting the 2027 presidential polls was reached at Imeobi and Nzukoumuna meetings of the body, noting that Ohaneze Ndigbo resolved to field Presidential candidates only in 2035.
But in a statement on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, the President-General of the Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator Azuta Mbata, while dismissing the claims by Isiguzo and others as false, misleading and mischievous, urged any Igbo person, interested in contesting the 2027 presidential election to do so.
According to Mbata, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, being a socio-cultural organization does not have the power to stop anybody from aspiring to, and/or contesting for any elective office in the country.
“Any Igbo person who belongs to a political party and wants to contest any elections whatsoever in 2027 is free to do.
“Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide is a socio-cultural organization of Ndigbo and not a political party. As such, Ohaneze Ndigbo is not in a position to say, dictate, or even advise on who should, and shouldn’t contest elections in Nigeria in 2027, or at any time for that matter.
“Ndigbo are advised to continue their lawful political activities in the various political parties of their choice and membership.
“Any publications to the contrary did not originate from Ohaneze Ndigbo, and should be discountenanced by the entirety of Ndigbo”, Senator Mbata noted.
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