BY JULIET EKWENUGO, Kaduna
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consolidate what it described as the goodwill generated in the Southeast through the infrastructure interventions of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The group called for increased federal investment in the region, including the development of a deep-sea port, creation of an additional state, rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway, revitalisation of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, improved aviation infrastructure and national reconciliation.
Ohanaeze made the call on Friday in a statement signed by its Deputy President General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Acting Secretary General, Prof. Chibuikeya Achoakawa.
The organisation said Umahi’s infrastructure projects had changed the political conversation in the Southeast by demonstrating visible federal presence through road development.
It urged Tinubu to build on the development by expanding federal investment in transportation, maritime infrastructure, aviation, healthcare and industrial connectivity across the region.
“Umahi has taken your administration’s developmental message to the people through infrastructure. He has demonstrated that federal presence can be measured through projects that citizens can see and use. Now consolidate that goodwill with projects of generational importance,” the group said.
Ohanaeze said political goodwill must be continuously earned through performance, inclusion and measurable commitments, warning that the Southeast should not be taken for granted.
The organisation particularly renewed its call for the development of a deep-sea port around the Azumiri Blue River axis of Ukwa East, Abia State, subject to the necessary technical, environmental, economic and statutory approvals.
It said the project would strengthen the commercial capacity of the Southeast, improve access to international trade and support the region’s productive economy.
The group also called for a renewed constitutional conversation on state creation and equitable federal representation, stressing that any new state creation exercise must follow the constitutional procedures of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On rail transportation, Ohanaeze urged the Federal Government to sustain the implementation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri standard-gauge railway project, describing the corridor as important to regional economic integration.
It also called for the comprehensive revitalisation of UNTH Enugu, saying restoring the institution to world-class standards would benefit not only the Southeast but Nigeria’s wider healthcare system.
Ohanaeze further urged the Federal Government to strengthen aviation infrastructure in the Southeast to support businesses, investors, professionals and the region’s diaspora community.
On national reconciliation, the organisation appealed to Tinubu to consider every lawful avenue for clemency, reconciliation or other constitutionally available relief concerning Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other eligible persons, subject to due process and the rule of law.
It said reconciliation should be viewed as an avenue for strengthening peace and restoring confidence rather than as a sign of weakness.
As Nigeria approaches its 66th Independence Anniversary, Ohanaeze urged the Federal Government to use the occasion to demonstrate greater commitment to regional concerns, strategic infrastructure, economic integration, constitutional inclusion and national reconciliation.
The group said Ndigbo were not asking the Federal Government for political favours, but for development, equity and a fair place in the Nigerian project.
Ohanaeze also said the 2027 election should be a contest based on records, programmes and measurable commitments rather than emotions.
The organisation said the All Progressives Congress (APC) should not assume that infrastructure projects alone would guarantee electoral support in the Southeast, while opposition parties should equally not assume that historical grievances would automatically translate into votes.
It further claimed that Tinubu was currently ahead of other opposition presidential candidates in the 2027 presidential race, adding that, in its assessment, “Igbos believed in PBAT.”
The organisation said every political platform would have to earn the confidence of Ndigbo through performance, equity and trust.
“Consolidate Umahi’s achievements. Give Ndigbo strategic infrastructure. Address legitimate structural concerns. Strengthen national reconciliation. And build a political partnership based on performance, equity and trust,” Ohanaeze said.
