By Francis Ajuonuma
A pro-Tinubu Igbo political coalition has sharply rebuked Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe over his recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the President’s 2023 victory remains legitimate and that the Southeast stands to benefit politically from continued engagement with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued on December 17, 2025, the group, Ndigbo for Tinubu 2027, described Abaribe’s comments as politically motivated and misleading, accusing him of attempting to project opposition disunity onto the presidency.
The organisation, which claims the backing of 199 pro-Igbo groups, said it was compelled to respond because Abaribe’s remarks falsely suggested that he speaks for the entire Igbo nation.
Led by its National Coordinator, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group rejected claims that President Tinubu is pursuing a one-party state, arguing that the current political realignments across the country are driven by internal crises within opposition parties rather than by any presidential interference.
The group further dismissed Abaribe’s assertion that Tinubu did not legitimately win the 2023 presidential election, stressing that the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Tinubu the winner and that the Supreme Court affirmed the outcome.
According to the statement, “It is politically irresponsible to continue to dispute an election that has been conclusively settled by both the electoral body and the apex court. Such narratives only weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.”
Ndigbo for Tinubu also criticised what it described as ‘alarmist rhetoric’, suggesting hostility toward Tinubu’s supporters in the Southeast, and said such claims were designed to stoke political tension ahead of the 2027 general election.
The group argued that political realities in the region contradict this narrative, pointing to cross-party cooperation between Southeast governors and the Federal Government.
It cited what it described as unprecedented federal investments in the region, including major infrastructure projects and the appointment of an Igbo Minister of Works, as evidence that the Tinubu administration is recalibrating the Southeast’s position within national governance.
The coalition equally rejected descriptions of the President as authoritarian, insisting that Tinubu governs within constitutional limits and through democratic institutions. It warned that repeated portrayals of the administration as monarchical or despotic were dangerous to democratic stability.
Reaffirming its political stance ahead of 2027, Ndigbo for Tinubu said it would mobilise support across the Southeast for Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that sustained political alignment with the centre remains the most strategic path for advancing Igbo interests.
The group concluded by calling for issue-based politics rather than what it described as incendiary rhetoric, stressing that it would continue to defend the Tinubu administration’s record and challenge narratives it considers hostile to Igbo political progress.
