ABUJA – The Leader of the Obidient Movement in the South East, Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has defended former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, against criticisms following his call for South East residents to take part in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
He said El-Rufai’s stance on zoning the presidency to the South promotes equity and places Peter Obi at the centre of opposition realignments ahead of 2027.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Ezeh, a leading entrepreneur and political mobiliser, dismissed the protest staged against El-Rufai in Owerri during the 2025 Odenigbo lecture at Maria Assumpta Catholic Church.
He described the action as a sham orchestrated by desperate politicians within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition talks.
According to him, the protest was driven by loyalists of a northern aspirant unsettled by El-Rufai’s declaration that the ADC presidential ticket should be zoned to the South to complete the remaining four years.
“Although the constitution guarantees freedom of expression, coalition politicians working for a northern aspirant must be guided by equity, fairness and inclusivity,” Ezeh said.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, through its Chancellor, Rev Father Patrick Mbarah, had also disowned the demonstrators, describing them as “hired, placard-carrying thugs” targeting both El-Rufai and Mr Peter Obi.
Ezeh warned that the coalition would lack credibility unless it zoned the presidency to the South, insisting that El-Rufai’s message was consistent with the ideals of the Obidient Movement.
“The time for grabbing power for power’s sake is gone. Mallam El-Rufai has come to acknowledge that Nigeria belongs to every citizen, and that the journey to a new Nigeria must rest on citizen participation in elections and the rule of law,” he said.
On voter mobilisation, Ezeh described the 2027 polls as a defining contest.
“Apathy and lethargy encourage vote thieves to steal the people’s mandate. To me, these are the core of El-Rufai’s message, whether in Sokoto, Kaduna or Owerri.
“We must recognise that 2027 is going to be the final bitter fight between the forces of evil and the forces of good, forces of light and forces of darkness,” he said.
Ezeh urged those attacking El-Rufai to reconsider, stressing Obi’s central role in Nigeria’s democratic renewal.
“If the coalition of opposition political forces is to bear fruit in 2027, all men and women of goodwill should support Mr Peter Obi, who parades the essential qualities of ethical, competent and purposeful leadership,” he stated.
VANGUARD.
