Concerned over an alleged threat issued by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, against Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, the Igbo community in Edo and Delta States has begun mobilising support for Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.

In a statement released yesterday, the Coordinator-General of the “Igbo Unity Forum,” Chief Ekene Okpara, said the group’s decision was triggered by the current state of the economy and the governor’s alleged remarks following Obi’s recent visit to Benin City.

Okpara expressed disappointment over the worsening economic situation under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, saying Nigerians “are facing the most difficult times in recent history.”

He disclosed that the forum has launched a campaign to deliver at least five million votes for Obi, regardless of the political party he chooses to run under in 2027.

“We will not forget the governor’s alleged statement insisting that Obi must inform him before visiting Edo State. That statement alone has strengthened our resolve to mobilise across the country and the diaspora,” he said.

Describing Governor Okpebholo as a “meddlesome busybody,” Okpara urged him to focus on governance rather than engaging in actions that could damage his reputation.

The forum also appealed to residents of Edo and Delta States to join forces to ensure Obi’s success in the next general elections, while calling on President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the failing economy and the deplorable state of infrastructure across Nigeria.

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A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prof. Jerry Gana has said that Peter Obi may be good, but that the PDP has somebody better.

He, however, maintained that the former Governor of Anambra State would win the northern state, should he return to the main opposition party.

It was reports that Gana has in recent weeks continued his call for Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, to come back to the PDP.

He believes that the former Governor has a better chance of challenging the incumbent government as the flagbearer of the PDP.

Speaking on Arise News, Gana expressed the confidence that Obi would defeat any contender in Nigeria’s northern states if he contested on the PDP platform.

Obi said he was still a member of the Labour Party and had vowed to remain in the party for the meantime while working with the African Democratic Congress, ADC-led coalition.

He left the PDP in May 2022 to pursue his bid under the LP.

“The PDP is on the ground. I’m a researcher, and I research opinions. In the northern states, Peter Obi under the PDP will defeat any candidate because our people are very fair-minded and just.

“We are reaching out to Peter Obi. Because I’m leading a search team and there are many brilliant people. Peter may be good, but we have somebody better. So, we are searching.

“We made a mistake in 2023. If I were Atiku, I would say, ‘Peter, it is now your turn; I would give you a vice-president,’ but he didn’t,” he said.

Adding his voice to the discussion on Thursday, a former National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Jacob Mark said the former Anambra governor was free to return to the party if he so wished.

He insisted that the PDP was the best bet for Obi to win the 2027 presidential election.

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday, affirmed the victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr Olayide Adelami, in the November 16, 2024, governorship election.

However, the candidate of the ADC in the election, Mr Adeyemi Nejo, has vowed to proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the appellate court verdict.

“The dismissal of the ADC’s appeal by the Court of Appeal is not the end of the road for the ADC.

“The party will certainly explore its constitutional right of Appeal to the Supreme Court in line with Section 233 (2) (e) (iv) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

“Consequently, we repose high confidence in the Supreme Court to interrogate and do justice to the petition of the ADC, which resulted from the irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, which plagued the election and the subsequent declaration of Lucky Aiyedatiwa as governor,” he said.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Leye Igbabo, said, “We will need to study the content of the judgment before we decide on the next line of action.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress the winner of the election, having polled a total of 366,781 votes to defeat candidates of other parties in the poll.

Apart from the PDP, the Social Democratic Party, the Action Alliance, the Allied Peoples’ Movement, and the ADC also filed petitions against Aiyedatiwa’s victory.

The parties challenged the result at the state election petitions tribunal, alleging that the election was characterised by irregularities and electoral malpractices at many polling units.

In its ruling on June 4, 2025, the tribunal struck out the petitions for non-compliance with the electoral law.

Not satisfied, the aggrieved parties approached the appellate court to challenge the tribunal’s verdict.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, the three-man panel comprising Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi and Justice I.M. Sani unanimously struck out the appeals, one after the other, for not substantiating the claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The appellate court also held that the appellants failed to prove their allegations against the election, as they did not show how their claims affected the election in the various polling units, wards and local government areas where the election took place.

The appellate court also ruled that the appellants abandoned their cases as there were no credible witnesses called at the tribunal to back up their claims of widespread irregularities in the various polling units.

To this end, the court affirmed the judgments of the tribunal on all the cases and declared Aiyedatiwa and Adelami as the elected governor and deputy governor of the state, respectively.

It also awarded a sum of N1.5m against the appellants.

Reacting, Aiyedatiwa described the judgment as a welcome development, commending the justices for painstakingly going through the cases and delivering detailed, unanimous judgments.

He expressed gratitude to God and the people of Ondo State, adding that the judgment had reaffirmed the will of the people.

He said: “I give glory to Almighty God who orchestrated this journey from the beginning and used the good people of Ondo State.

“Over 366,000 residents gave us their mandate on November 16 last year to continue governing this state as the seventh democratically elected governor.

“That mandate was validated by the tribunal and has now been reaffirmed by the Appeal Court.

“While some political parties tried to overturn the people’s decision through the backdoor, the judiciary has fulfilled its role by upholding the choice made by the majority of voters across the 18 local government areas of the state.”

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