A former House of Representatives member for the Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency of Abia, Sam Onuigbo, says top Igbo politicians should unite and negotiate with their counterparts from other ethnic blocs to secure the best political deals for their people in 2027.

Mr Onuigbo, an All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, said this during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday.

Nigeria’s general election is held every four years, and the next round is scheduled for 2027, with alignments and realignments already underway among the political class.

Prominent among such moves is the defection of several governors, including Peter Mbah of Enugu State, into the APC, which rules at the federal level and controls most states in the country, as well as both chambers of the National Assembly.

Mr Onuigbo said that without proper negotiation and consultation, the best interests of the Igbo people in Nigeria’s political space would not be maximally served.

He said the Ndi Igbo had demonstrated their commitment to the unity, progress, and prosperity of the country, as evidenced in their investment in virtually every nook and cranny of the nation.

“It is because of their level of commitment that you see them feeling free to invest in every part of the country more than any other part of the country,” he said.

He said that showed their belief in a strong, united, indivisible, indissoluble, prosperous Nigeria.

According to him, the Igbo ethnic group has contributed enormously to the country’s development.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the South-East Development Commission to address the devastation of the region during the civil war.

The former lawmaker said the commission ought to have been created immediately after the war.

“President Bola Tinubu deserves commendation for the approval and establishment of the commission properly deployed for reconciliation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

Mr Onuigbo expressed support for the creation of an additional state in the South-East zone.

“It is unfair for other zones in the country to have six states while the South East has five,“ he said.

Speaking about coups in some West African sub-regions, he said that people’s agitation is about good governance.

He urged Nigerians to support Mr Tinubu’s administration and its reforms to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

“President Tinubu needs our support and encouragement to ensure that the reforms he brings on board succeed,“ he said.

(NAN)