2027: RMRDC DG Urges Peter Obi to Drop Ambition, Support Tinubu

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called on Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi to abandon his 2027 presidential ambition and back President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

Ike-Muonso made the appeal during an interactive session in Abuja on Monday.

He argued that the South should complete its eight-year presidential tenure before power rotates back to the North, in line with the informal zoning arrangement that has guided Nigerian politics since 1999, even though it is not enshrined in the constitution.

“Peter Obi has done well by building a political following and brought issues of public expenditure, accountability and economic management into the national conversation. Those issues deserve sustained engagement,” he said.

“But political leadership also requires strategic decisions about when to contest, when to collaborate and how best to contribute to national development. Obi needs to step down. Let him shelve his presidential ambition and work with President Bola Tinubu to retain the ticket for the South.”

The RMRDC boss also encouraged Obi to consider joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said membership would allow the former Anambra State governor to participate in internal policy discussions and contribute to the party’s approaches on infrastructure, education, healthcare, investment and economic development.

Ike-Muonso stressed that presidential ambition must be balanced against national unity, political stability and the need for policy continuity.

He linked his call to the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which he said provides a framework for institutions such as the RMRDC to drive local raw-material development, industrialisation, import substitution and value addition.

He highlighted the council’s push for a legislative requirement of at least 30 per cent value addition to raw materials before export, aimed at encouraging local processing, creating jobs and retaining more economic benefits within Nigeria.

He also noted efforts to identify and develop raw-material resources across the country’s 774 local government areas to support processing facilities and industrial clusters.

Ike-Muonso urged political leaders to prioritise long-term development initiatives beyond electoral cycles, emphasising that industrialisation depends on policy consistency and collaboration between the federal and state governments.