2027 Presidency: RMRDC DG Asks Obi to Support Tinubu’s Second-Term Bid

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

Ike-Muonso made the recommendation while speaking with reporters during an interactive session in Abuja, insisting that the South should be allowed to complete its eight-year presidential tenure before power shifts back to the North.

He said Nigeria’s long-standing political understanding on power rotation between the two regions should remain a key consideration as political parties and their candidates position themselves for the 2027 general elections.

According to the RMRDC boss, respecting the arrangement could strengthen national unity, sustain political stability and maintain public confidence in the country’s political system.

“Presidential ambition must be balanced with the larger interests of national unity, political stability and the need to sustain policies that can transform the economy. Nigeria has developed a political tradition of power rotation between the North and South, and respecting that understanding can help strengthen confidence among the country’s diverse political constituencies,” he said.

Ike-Muonso, however, admitted that the Constitution does not provide for a compulsory North-South rotation of the presidency. He noted that the arrangement has nevertheless remained influential in the calculations of major political parties and stakeholders seeking to accommodate regional interests.

He urged Obi to postpone his presidential ambition until after Tinubu’s second term, arguing that the North should then have an opportunity to produce the country’s next president. He said such a move would support political continuity, national cohesion and stability.

Beyond urging Obi to support Tinubu, Ike-Muonso suggested that the former Anambra governor consider joining the APC. He said aligning with the ruling party could enable Obi to participate in policy formulation, engage with its governance structures and contribute to development initiatives being implemented in states controlled by the party.

He explained that such involvement would also give Obi an opportunity to assess the APC’s approaches to infrastructure, education, healthcare, investment and economic development.

Commenting on Obi’s political standing, the RMRDC director-general recognised the support base the former presidential candidate had built and his contribution to public discussions on accountability and economic management.

“Peter Obi has built a political following and brought issues of public expenditure, accountability and economic management into the national conversation. Those issues deserve sustained engagement. But political leadership also requires strategic decisions about when to contest, when to collaborate and how best to contribute to national development,” he said.

Ike-Muonso maintained that Obi could deploy his political influence to advance discussions on governance, economic development and institutional reforms instead of concentrating entirely on the 2027 presidential race.

He encouraged Obi to spend the intervening period building nationwide alliances, engaging with progressive political ideas and supporting policies that would improve the living conditions of Nigerians.

Although he acknowledged that the choice of political party remained Obi’s personal decision, Ike-Muonso called for a political environment in which leaders could overcome previous differences and collaborate on issues of national importance.

He also said the 2027 political debate should focus on more than individual presidential ambitions, stressing the need for policies that would diversify the economy, create employment and expand domestic production.

On the economy, Ike-Muonso said the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda provided a policy framework for advancing the development of local raw materials, industrialisation, import substitution and value addition through institutions such as the RMRDC.

He said the council was working towards reducing Nigeria’s dependence on exporting unprocessed commodities by promoting local manufacturing and the productive use of the country’s natural resources.

“The opportunity before Nigeria is to move beyond exporting raw commodities and build an economy in which our natural resources support local factories, generate employment and create wealth within our communities,” he said.

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