Chekwas Okorie Unveils New Political Strategy for Igbo Ahead of 2027
Chief Chekwas Okorie, Convener and National Chairman of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD), has unveiled a renewed political mobilisation strategy aimed at repositioning Ndigbo ahead of the 2027 general election.
Okorie made the disclosure on Wednesday while addressing a press conference in Enugu, where he lamented what he described as the continued marginalisation of the Southeast decades after the end of the Nigerian civil war.
According to him, the declaration of “No Victor, No Vanquished” at the end of the 1970 war did not translate into genuine reconciliation, as policies meant to heal the wounds of the conflict were quickly abandoned by the Federal Government.
“The scars of that unfortunate war still fester today because the policies meant to heal the wounds were deliberately reversed,” Okorie said. “Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation were proclaimed, but they were largely ignored.”
He accused successive administrations of sustaining the exclusion of the Southeast through the neglect of eastern seaports, poor federal infrastructure in the region and the marginalisation of qualified Igbo professionals in key national appointments.
“Our legitimate cries against marginalisation attracted ridicule instead of empathy,” he said, adding that decades of frustration have continued to define the Igbo experience within the Nigerian federation.
Okorie further argued that prolonged political and economic exclusion had pushed some Igbo youths toward separatist agitation, resulting in instability, economic disruption and loss of lives in parts of the Southeast and South-South.
“Rather than engage our youths constructively, the federal government chose to deploy soldiers with the most coercive weapons. That approach only escalated tensions,” he stated.
He explained that the Igbo Agenda Dialogue, inaugurated in August 2025, was established to reset Igbo political engagement within Nigeria’s constitutional framework, stressing that the group is non-partisan and committed to democratic ideals.
“We have resolved that never again will the votes of the Igbo be taken for granted and without conditions,” Okorie declared. “The Igbo Agenda Dialogue is non-partisan, pro-democracy and committed to collective action one for all, all for one.”
As part of its immediate plans, Okorie announced that the IAD would convene the first Igbo Political Summit in 56 years, scheduled for April 2026 in Enugu, during which an Igbo Political Charter would be unveiled.
“This will be the first Igbo political charter since the historic Ahiara Declaration,” he said.
Condemning voter apathy in the region, Okorie cited INEC figures indicating that only 2.2 million of over 11.5 million registered voters in the Southeast participated in the 2023 presidential election, describing the low turnout as “self-inflicted surrender.”
“The voter’s card is far more powerful than brandishing weapons,” he said.
He disclosed that the IAD is targeting the registration and mobilisation of at least 20 million voters in the Southeast and 15 million Igbo voters outside the region ahead of the 2027 polls, expressing confidence that a united and politically active Igbo electorate would significantly reshape Nigeria’s political landscape.
