Ohanaeze Ndigbo Reaffirms Support for Two-Term Igbo Presidency, Rejects One-Term Proposal

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has reiterated its firm support for a two-term presidency for an Igbo candidate following the 2027 general elections, dismissing the idea of a one-term Igbo presidency as misleading and unrealistic.

In a statement released Thursday by its Deputy factional President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group emphasized its commitment to the constitutional framework of a maximum of two terms for the President and State Governors as outlined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.

The statement noted the historical context that since 1966, when Major General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi briefly served as Military Head of State, no Igbo person has held executive power at the federal level. While Nnamdi Azikiwe was ceremonial president from 1963 to 1966, he held no executive authority.

Given this background, Ohanaeze Ndigbo declared it would be a grave injustice if the first democratically elected Igbo president voluntarily limits their tenure to a single four-year term. The group described any advocacy for a one-term presidency as a tactic driven by desperation or self-interest, and urged the Nigerian electorate to critically evaluate proponents of such a position.

The statement challenged the sincerity of advocates of the one-term agenda by questioning whether such a principle would apply consistently within their political parties — including whether incumbent governors or National Assembly members would also restrict themselves to one term.

“If a governor intends to seek re-election after one term, then the proponent of a single-term presidency is engaging in falsehood and hypocrisy,” the statement said. “This strategy is bound to fail.”

Ohanaeze stressed that while it supports an Igbo presidency as a legitimate goal, it must not come at the expense of democratic principles. The organization firmly backs a two-term tenure for any Igbo president who emerges victorious.

It concluded by categorically rejecting the one-term presidency proposal, describing it as a deceptive and immature concept originating from unserious presidential aspirants.