By Chimezie Godfrey
The South-East chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has set a target of mobilising one million votes for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 general elections.
The Chairman of the NDC South-East, FCT, Mike Nwosu, disclosed this on Saturday when he led members from the six Area Councils in the territory on a solidarity visit to the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-East, Teddy Obey.
Nwosu said the visit was to appreciate the party’s national leadership for giving the South-East the opportunity to produce its presidential candidate, adding that the gesture had placed a responsibility on the region to mobilise support for the party ahead of the elections.
He said the South-East would reciprocate by mobilising its people across the FCT to ensure victory for Obi and other NDC candidates in 2027.
“We are going to bring together not less than one million people in Abuja. We want to bring all the Igbos in Abuja and the FCT together under one umbrella, the NDC,” Nwosu said.
He said the group would commence intensive mobilisation ahead of the campaign, with the objective of securing massive support for the party’s presidential ticket across the FCT.
Nwosu described Obi’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate as a significant development for the South-East, saying it offered the region an opportunity to achieve greater inclusion in national political leadership.
He said the region had consistently demanded greater participation in the affairs of the country and must therefore utilise the opportunity provided by the NDC.
Also speaking, the Chief Technical Adviser to NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, VinMartin Ilo, said the visit demonstrated the South-East’s appreciation of the opportunity extended to the region by the party.
Ilo said the South-East had a major responsibility to convince Nigerians across the country that an Igbo presidency would serve the interests of all Nigerians.
He said the NDC was ready to partner with the South-East in mobilising support for Obi and the party’s presidential ticket.
“The Igbos know that for this task to be achieved, they have to lead from the front and reassure other Nigerians that the Igbo man as president will bring the change that Nigeria needs.
“They also have a task to convince other Nigerians that this will be a presidency for all Nigerians, not just for the people of the South-East,” he said.
Ilo said the party’s campaign strategy would involve reaching Nigerians at every level, including residents of remote communities, adding that the NDC would rely on facts, statistics and evidence to convince voters that Obi was the best candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
“The campaign is top to bottom. We are not leaving any Nigerian or any part of Nigeria out of it. We need Nigerians in every part and we are reaching out to them,” he said.
He added that the party would explain its manifesto, programmes and policies to voters irrespective of their educational background or location.
Ilo said the objective was to ensure that Nigerians understood what an NDC administration would do from its first day in office.
In his remarks, the NDC National Vice Chairman, South-East, Teddy Obey, said the party would adopt peaceful, door-to-door mobilisation to reach voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
Obey said the party would focus on direct engagement with Nigerians without violence, confrontation or unnecessary street activities.
“Our position is that we will go from house to house. No noise, no fighting,” he said.
He said the party had learnt from previous political experiences that mobilisation could be sustained through grassroots engagement and other peaceful channels.
According to Obey, the current political situation requires Nigerians to rethink traditional approaches to politics and work towards changing the existing system.
He urged Nigerians to consider the future of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren when making political decisions rather than focusing solely on immediate personal benefits.
Obey also acknowledged the reality of financial inducements during elections but urged voters to exercise their conscience and make decisions based on what they considered right for the country.
“If anybody comes to entice them with anything, it is their right to take it as their property. But their conscience should not be motivated by it. They should do what they feel is the right thing to do,” he said.
The NDC chieftain said the party would continue to encourage Nigerians to participate actively in the democratic process and pursue political change through peaceful means, stressing that its ultimate objective was to build a system that would serve present and future generations.
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