Chekwas Okorie Says Lagos Igbo Voters Will Double For Obi In 2027, I Have Questions

Chief Chekwas Okorie, the pioneer National Chairman of APGA and President of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue, told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that Peter Obi will pull more votes from Lagos State in 2027 than he did in 2023. He said Igbos who will vote for Obi in Lagos will be twice the number that voted in 2023. Let us be honest, that is a bold claim.

Okorie spent time on Governor Chukwuma Soludo, reminding him that he and Peter Obi are both products of APGA. He said Soludo was the first governor to endorse President Tinubu before APC governors did, and now his position is driven by personal grievance. He warned Soludo to be mindful of the remaining three and a half years of his tenure, saying if Peter Obi's party sweeps the Anambra State House of Assembly election, Soludo could face a hostile legislature. He also challenged Soludo to deliver 10 per cent of Anambra votes to Tinubu, noting that Tinubu secured only 5.3 per cent in the South-east in 2023.

On the claim that the North will not vote for an Igbo man, Okorie went back to history, recalling that in the First Republic the NCNC had the highest votes, and that Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe chose stability over a coalition with Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He also mentioned that a Fulani man was elected twice in Enugu in 1960. But the question remains: does Lagos Igbo voter really have that kind of swing in 2027, or is Okorie just talking? Am I the only one that thinks this is easier said than done?