● SAYS NDIGBO WILL PRODUCE PRESIDENT FOR EIGHT YEARS WHEN IT IS TRULY OUR TURN
The Imo State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA), Rt. Hon. Goodluck Opiah, has warned Ndigbo against politicians promising to serve only one term of four years as President, describing such claims as deceptive, selfish, and inimical to the collective interest of the Southeast.
Opiah spoke on Monday at the inauguration of the Ward Coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Ikeduru Local Government Area chapter, held at the council hall in Iho. He led a high-powered delegation of the group to the event, which attracted top party leaders, elected officials, traditional leaders, and community stakeholders from across the LGA.
According to Opiah, the lessons of the 2023 general election remain fresh and instructive for the Igbo nation. He said many people in the Southeast were misled by assurances that an Igbo candidate would emerge President, a development that weakened support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the zone, even though the party eventually won the election against all odds.
“As we approach the 2027 presidential election, the same narrative is being recycled,” Opiah said. “Some politicians are going around promising that if elected President, they will serve only one term of four years. That is not the position of the Igbo people. We cannot continue to contest every election cycle, lose, and then turn around to blame others. The truth is that 2027 is not our turn. When it is our turn, we will take it properly and produce a President for eight years.”
He stressed that no region in Nigeria should aspire to the presidency only to hand over power after four years, insisting that equity, fairness, and political strategy demand full tenure when the opportunity eventually comes. He urged the people of the Southeast to resist emotional appeals and to align with political realities that would place the region in a stronger negotiating position nationally.
Opiah further said that some of the individuals championing a change of presidency narrative are the same actors who mismanaged Nigeria in the past and are now desperate to return to power through misinformation. He cautioned Ndigbo against falling for what he described as “rebranded deception.”
Addressing controversies surrounding the ongoing tax reforms of the Federal Government, Opiah dismissed claims that the reforms are designed to punish ordinary Nigerians. According to him, the reforms are targeted at strengthening the economy and ensuring fairness in revenue generation.
He explained that the new tax regime seeks to make the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, while providing the government with the funds required to invest in critical infrastructure and social services. He listed the benefits of the reforms to include increased revenue for development, reduced reliance on borrowing, improved funding for education and healthcare, and overall economic stability through a broader and more efficient tax base.
“The tax reforms are not anti-people,” he said. “They are pro-development. You cannot build roads, schools, hospitals, or provide stable power supply without revenue. What this administration is doing is to ensure that those who have made so much money contribute appropriately to national development.”
On the Renewed Hope Ambassadors initiative, Opiah emphasized that the Ward Coordinators’ positions are not party offices but grassroots responsibilities aimed at civic education and national reorientation. He noted that although members of the group are loyal APC supporters, their core mandate is to educate the people, mobilize support for government policies, and counter misinformation.
“We are partners in outreach,” he said. “Our people often misinterpret, distort, or underreport what the President has done. Your duty is to take the facts to the grassroots and help Nigerians understand the impact of these reforms.”
Highlighting achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in Imo State, Opiah disclosed that Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education has been upgraded to a University of Education, with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) embarking on massive infrastructure development to expand learning facilities. He added that funding to tertiary institutions has increased significantly under the current administration.
In the health sector, he said the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, has been upgraded to a University Teaching Hospital and is undergoing extensive modernization, while a new FMC is being established in Okigwe to improve access to quality healthcare in the state.
Opiah also spoke extensively on the oil and gas sector, noting that the Tinubu administration has intensified the fight against illegal oil bunkering and theft, leading to improved production levels and increased national revenue. Drawing from his background as an oil and gas legislator and advocate for host communities, he said the reduction in oil theft is already yielding positive fiscal results for the country.
On energy reforms, Opiah said the removal of electricity from the exclusive legislative list and the liberalization of the power sector have opened new opportunities for states to invest in power generation. He revealed that the Imo State Government’s Independent Power Plant initiative would soon deliver a more stable electricity supply across the state.
Earlier in his remarks, the Ikeduru LGA Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Very Rev. C.N.N. Nwanebo, said the Ward Coordinators were selected based on their grassroots strength and capacity to deliver. He emphasized that loyalty should be to party leadership and elected leaders, not to individuals.
“I don’t need your loyalty to me,” Nwanebo said. “Be loyal to the Governor and our leaders. All I require is your capacity to deliver. This group is not in competition with anyone; we are here to complement existing party structures.”
Nwanebo pointed to the steady fall in commodity prices as evidence that the President’s reforms are beginning to yield results, noting that rice prices have dropped to about ₦50,000, while fuel now sells around ₦800 per litre, with further reductions anticipated.
Engr. Sir Chuks Anele, representing former Deputy Governor Prof. Placid Njoku, thanked Opiah for attending the inauguration in person and urged members to spread the message of the administration’s achievements, warning against regional voting patterns that weaken the Southeast’s political leverage.
The Executive Chairman of Ikeduru LGA, Hon. Justice Nze, also commended the Federal Government’s anti-corruption drive in the oil and gas sector and its efforts to revive moribund refineries, expressing optimism that fuel prices could drop further when reforms are fully implemented.
The member representing Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Prince Akarachi Amadi, reaffirmed his total support for President Tinubu and the APC, urging constituents not to be deceived ahead of the 2027 elections. He announced the donation of a bus to the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Ikeduru LGA to aid their outreach activities.
The event was attended by prominent APC leaders in Ikeduru LGA, including Prince Charles Amadi, councilors, presidents-general of autonomous communities, party officials, former local government chairmen, and state government officials, underscoring the growing influence of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors at the grassroots.
