2027: RMRDC DG urges Peter Obi to drop ambition, support Tinubu

On Monday, the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, urged Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi to abandon his ambition for the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid. Ike-Muonso argued that Nigeria should complete its eight-year presidential tenure in the South before allowing power to return to the North.

He also encouraged Obi to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to contribute to its policy discussions and development agenda.

Ike-Muonso made his remarks during an interactive session in Abuja, where he emphasized that political leadership requires balancing personal ambition with national unity, stability, and continuity in governance. He urged Obi to join the APC, stating that membership would enable him to participate in internal policy debates and engage with the APC-controlled states' governance approaches.

The RMRDC chief executive emphasized that the informal political understanding of power rotation between the North and South, which has been a convention since 1999, should be respected to maintain confidence among Nigeria's diverse political constituencies. He also urged Tinubu to complete his second term, allowing the South to complete its eight-year presidential tenure before the North gets another opportunity to produce the President.

Ike-Muonso highlighted the Tinubu administration's Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on diversifying the economy, creating jobs, and strengthening domestic production. He noted that the RMRDC is working on initiatives to promote local raw-material development, industrialization, and value addition, including a legislative framework requiring at least 30% value addition to raw materials before export.

He stressed the importance of sustained engagement on issues such as public expenditure, accountability, and economic management, while acknowledging that the decision to join a political party lies with Obi. However, Ike-Muonso urged Nigeria to develop a political culture that allows prominent figures to overcome past differences and work towards shared national objectives.