2027: Obidient Leader Backs El-Rufai on Power Shift, Says Obi Key to Opposition Unity
2027: Obidient Leader Backs El-Rufai on Power Shift, Says Obi Key to Opposition Unity
ABUJA – The Leader of the Obidient Movement in the South East, Dr. Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has thrown his weight behind former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, following criticism of his call for South East residents to actively participate in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
Ezeh, a prominent entrepreneur and political mobiliser, argued that El-Rufai’s position on zoning the presidency to the South promotes equity and strengthens the case for opposition realignment around Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, he dismissed the protest staged against El-Rufai during the 2025 Odenigbo Lecture at Maria Assumpta Catholic Church in Owerri, describing it as a “sham” orchestrated by desperate politicians engaged in coalition talks within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
According to him, the demonstrators were loyalists of a northern aspirant unsettled by El-Rufai’s declaration that the ADC presidential ticket should be zoned to the South to complete its remaining four years.
“Although the constitution guarantees freedom of expression, coalition politicians working for a northern aspirant must be guided by equity, fairness, and inclusivity,” Ezeh noted.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, through its Chancellor, Rev. Father Patrick Mbarah, also distanced itself from the protest, describing the participants as “hired, placard-carrying thugs” targeting both El-Rufai and Obi.
Ezeh insisted that the credibility of any opposition coalition hinged on zoning the presidency to the South, stressing that El-Rufai’s call was consistent with the ideals of the Obidient Movement.
“The time for grabbing power for power’s sake is gone. Mallam El-Rufai has come to acknowledge that Nigeria belongs to every citizen, and that the journey to a new Nigeria must rest on citizen participation in elections and the rule of law,” he said.
On voter mobilisation, Ezeh described the 2027 elections as a watershed contest, warning that voter apathy only empowers “vote thieves.”
“We must recognise that 2027 is going to be the final bitter fight between the forces of evil and the forces of good, forces of light and forces of darkness,” he declared.
He urged those attacking El-Rufai to reconsider, stressing Obi’s central role in Nigeria’s democratic renewal.
“If the coalition of opposition political forces is to bear fruit in 2027, all men and women of goodwill should support Mr. Peter Obi, who parades the essential qualities of ethical, competent, and purposeful leadership,” he added.
