South-East needs no apology to lead Nigeria — Onoh

By Emma Nnadozie

Former South-East campaign spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has faulted the claim that Peter Obi and the Obidient movement constitute the biggest obstacles to an Igbo presidency, insisting that the South-East does not need to apologise for its political choices or seek permission to aspire to national leadership.

Onoh, who is also chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos in response to comments by the convener of The Alternative, Segun Sowunmi, on the Selah Meditate Podcast.

Sowunmi had reportedly argued that the South-East was isolating itself through political hostility, tribalism and a failure to negotiate power strategically across Nigeria’s diverse political landscape.

But Onoh described the argument as a flawed assessment of the country’s political realities, saying it unfairly placed responsibility for the challenges surrounding an Igbo presidency on Obi and his supporters.

He argued that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election contradicted the suggestion that the Obidient movement was confined to the South-East or driven solely by ethnic considerations.

“Peter Obi did not run a regional or ethnic campaign,” Onoh said, citing the support Obi received outside the South-East, including in Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory.

He described the support as evidence that the movement had attracted Nigerians from different regions and backgrounds.

Onoh also faulted what he described as the selective criticism of the Obidient movement over the conduct of some of its supporters on social media.

He said passionate political exchanges were common across the major political camps in Nigeria and argued that supporters of one political movement should not be singled out for criticism.

According to him, although some political exchanges may be aggressive, they should not be used to deny a region the opportunity to pursue national leadership.

Onoh further argued that Obi could not reasonably be expected to control every statement made by supporters of a decentralised, citizen-led movement.

He said holding Obi personally responsible for the online conduct of millions of independent supporters would impose an unrealistic standard not consistently applied to other political leaders.

On Sowunmi’s reported comments about Igbo businesspeople and their grievances over Nigeria’s economic conditions, Onoh said commercial success did not diminish their right to demand good governance and equitable political representation.

“An ethnic group’s resilience, entrepreneurial drive and ability to survive in a hostile economy do not strip them of the right to demand good governance,” he said.

He added that the economic contributions of Igbo businesspeople in cities such as Lagos and Abuja should not be treated as a substitute for political representation at the highest levels of government.

Onoh maintained that negotiations for political power should not require the South-East to suppress its democratic choices or apologise for supporting candidates it believes can lead the country.

“The South-East does not need a permission slip from political actors who are stuck in old ways of doing things,” he said.

He argued that the 2023 election had demonstrated the possibility of building political alliances across ethnic and religious lines, adding that the support Obi received should be viewed as a basis for broader national engagement rather than an obstacle to an Igbo presidency.

Onoh said the South-East should be able to pursue national leadership through elections, competence and alliances with Nigerians from other regions.

His response comes amid continuing debate over the South-East’s political strategy and its prospects of producing Nigeria’s president.

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