Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has explained why he believes Peter Obi’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate on a national platform could significantly improve the chances of an Igbo becoming President of Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Galadima said supporters of Obi had been advised to avoid presenting his presidential ambition primarily as a campaign for an Igbo presidency. According to him, such an approach could limit Obi’s appeal and reinforce ethnic divisions within the country.
Instead, Galadima said the NDC encouraged Obi’s supporters to present him first and foremost as a Nigerian seeking to lead Nigeria, rather than as an Igbo politician seeking the presidency on behalf of his ethnic group.
He explained that the objective was to build a national political movement around Obi’s personality, leadership qualities and vision for the country, while allowing his ethnic background to remain secondary to his broader identity as a Nigerian presidential candidate.
“We told them that the best way for Igbo man to be president is not to ask for Igbo president. But to say, Nigerian president. And we’re quite satisfied that that criterion is met,” Galadima said.
The NDC chieftain expressed satisfaction that Obi is now being presented within a national political framework rather than through an exclusively regional or ethnic campaign. He suggested that this could make it easier for voters from different parts of Nigeria to identify with Obi’s candidacy.
According to Galadima, a presidential candidate seeking nationwide acceptance must be able to appeal to Nigerians beyond his immediate ethnic or regional constituency. He believes that presenting Obi as a candidate for all Nigerians could help reduce concerns about ethnic politics and create a broader coalition of supporters.
Galadima further argued that this strategy could ultimately benefit the wider aspiration of an Igbo person becoming president. In his view, demonstrating that an Igbo candidate can secure significant support outside the South-East would strengthen the argument that Nigerians are willing to elect a president based on national considerations rather than ethnic identity.
The NDC chieftain also discussed the evolving relationship between northern Nigeria and the South-East, noting what he described as a reduction in political tensions between people from the two regions.
He recalled that during previous election periods, there were reports of hostility, attacks and other forms of tension involving northerners living or doing business in parts of the South-East. However, Galadima said such incidents have become less frequent over the past year.
He attributed the improvement to what he described as a growing understanding between people from the North and the South-East. According to him, increased interaction and a better appreciation of the interests shared by Nigerians from different regions could help reduce longstanding political and ethnic tensions.
The development, he suggested, could also create a more favourable environment for a presidential candidate such as Obi, whose support base has historically been particularly strong in the South-East but who would need substantial backing from other parts of the country to win a presidential election.
Galadima’s comments come as political parties and presidential aspirants continue to position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections. With ethnicity, regional representation and political alliances expected to remain important issues during the campaign, the NDC chieftain’s argument places emphasis on building a national identity around Obi’s candidacy.
His position is that the most effective path toward an Igbo presidency is not to frame the ambition as an ethnic entitlement but to demonstrate through broad national support that an Igbo candidate can successfully represent the interests of Nigerians across regional and ethnic lines.
By projecting Obi as a Nigerian presidential candidate rather than simply an Igbo candidate, Galadima believes the NDC can broaden his appeal, encourage greater national acceptance and potentially create the political conditions necessary for an Igbo person to eventually occupy the presidency.
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