Obidient Leader Backs El-Rufai, Says Presidency Must Return To The South

The Leader of the Obidient Movement in the South East, Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has applauded the former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for his stance on zoning the presidency to the South.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Ezeh argued that zoning the presidency to the South promotes equity and places former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the centre of opposition realignments ahead of 2027.

His submission follows a call by El-Rufai for residents of the South East to participate in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

Speaking further, he described the staged protest against El-Rufai in Owerri as a sham orchestrated by desperate politicians within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.

According to him, the protest was driven by loyalists of a northern aspirant unsettled by El-Rufai’s declaration that the ADC presidential ticket should be zoned to the South to complete the 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 said.

Ezeh warned that the coalition would lack credibility unless it zoned the presidency to the South, insisting that El-Rufai’s message 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 polls as a defining contest.

“Apathy and lethargy encourage vote thieves to steal the people’s mandate. To me, these are the core of El-Rufai’s message, whether in Sokoto, Kaduna or Owerri.

“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 said.

Ezeh 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 stated.