The Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation has urged President Bola Tinubu to step down for former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 presidential election.

The National Coordinator of IHIF, Chinedu Nsofor, made the call in a statement on Sunday while reacting to moves by the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria campaign group to persuade Obi to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Nsofor urged RHGN to allow Obi to exercise his constitutional right to contest the election, rather than asking him to withdraw from the race.

He said IHIF, which is campaigning for an Igbo president in 2027, had adopted Obi as its preferred candidate for the election.

Nsofor challenged the Tinubu campaign group to support the Igbo presidency project and persuade Tinubu to step down for Obi, saying this would promote equity, justice and fairness.

He argued that the Igbo had made significant contributions to Nigeria’s unity and deserved an opportunity to produce the country’s president.

According to him, the rotation of the presidency since 1999 had largely favoured the North and South-West, while the Igbo had not had a sustained opportunity to lead the country.

Nsofor said former President Olusegun Obasanjo served for eight years, while former Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, both from the North, served a combined 11 years. He added that former President Goodluck Jonathan of the South-South served for five years.

He, however, urged Nigerians to prioritise competence over ethnicity and religion when choosing their leaders in 2027.

Nsofor said the 2027 presidential election presented an opportunity to change the pattern of political leadership in the country and give the Igbo an opportunity to lead.

He also urged Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidates at the polls, saying fairness and equity were important to national unity and cohesion.