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ENUGU, NIGERIA — A frontline South-East monarch, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Eze-Igwe Williams Ezugwu, has challenged traditional rulers across Nigeria to break their silence and speak out on equity, justice and rotational presidency ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The Eze Ogbozarra III of Opi Ancient Kingdom, Igwe of Ibagwa Opi and Eze Ka Eze I of Idekeland in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, said the South should be allowed to complete its current presidential turn, arguing that doing so would strengthen national unity, political trust and the sense of belonging among Nigeria’s diverse peoples.
The monarch made the call in a national appeal directed at traditional rulers, political leaders and Nigerians, insisting that the traditional institution could not afford to remain silent on issues capable of affecting the country’s political stability and unity.
He, however, cautioned that traditional rulers should not become partisan political actors.
According to him, “being non-partisan does not mean being indifferent, and being neutral does not mean being silent when the peace, unity, justice and collective future of our people are at stake.”
HRM Ezugwu, a former Secretary General of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, said the 2027 presidential contest should be viewed beyond the struggle for occupancy of Aso Rock, stressing that the more fundamental issue was whether every region and geopolitical zone could continue to have a genuine sense of belonging in Nigeria.
He argued that although rotational presidency is not expressly provided for in the Constitution, it has evolved into an important political convention for managing Nigeria’s diversity and preventing fears of permanent domination by one section of the country.
“The Presidency belongs to Nigeria; no region owns it,” he declared, describing rotation as a mechanism for promoting “fairness, reciprocity, political trust and national accommodation.”
The monarch was quick to dismiss the argument that allowing the South to complete its turn amounted to demanding an automatic right to the presidency regardless of competence.
“Let the South produce the presidential candidate. Let Nigerians examine the candidates.
“Let competence, integrity, character, capacity and national acceptance be tested. Let the people vote freely,” he said.
“Competence and regional equity are not mutually exclusive. Nigeria can have both,” he added.
HRM Ezugwu warned that abandoning political rotation whenever it became inconvenient to powerful political interests could deepen suspicion, alienation and distrust among Nigeria’s constituent peoples.
“If political rotation is discarded whenever it becomes inconvenient to powerful political interests, then we should be honest enough to admit that the principle no longer exists. And if the principle exists, it must be applied fairly,” he said.
‘Traditional Rulers Cannot Keep Mute’
The monarch urged traditional rulers from the North, South, East, West and Middle Belt to initiate a national conversation on political succession and the future of the country.
He called on royal fathers to rise above ethnic, religious and partisan considerations and use their positions as custodians of their communities to promote national dialogue and inclusion.
“We may disagree politically. We may belong to different ethnic groups. We may speak different languages. We may worship differently. But we have one country,” the monarch said.
He described the traditional institution as uniquely positioned to build bridges across Nigeria’s political, ethnic and religious divides, warning that silence in the face of perceived injustice could have consequences for national cohesion.
“Our silence must not become an endorsement of injustice. Our neutrality must not become indifference,” he warned.
‘No Region Should Feel Permanently Excluded’
The traditional said Nigeria could not achieve enduring national unity if any section of the country continued to believe that it could produce votes and support the federation while being permanently excluded from the highest political office.
He advocated a Nigeria where every Nigerian child, irrespective of ethnic or regional background, could grow up believing that the presidency was genuinely within the reach of his or her people.
“That is the Nigeria we must leave for the next generation,” he said.
The monarch also appealed to political parties and presidential aspirants to subordinate personal ambition to the long-term stability of the federation, warning that no political office was worth undermining Nigeria’s delicate political balance.
He said the 2027 election offered the country an opportunity to demonstrate that its diversity could be managed through fairness, inclusion and democratic maturity rather than the exploitation of ethnic and regional anxieties.
‘Let Justice Guide Our Politics’
HRM Ezugwu stressed that his intervention was neither an endorsement of a political party nor support for any particular presidential aspirant.
“It is a plea for fairness. It is a plea for reciprocity. It is a plea for political trust. It is a plea for national inclusion,” he said.
He consequently urged traditional rulers, political leaders, civil society organisations, religious leaders, elders and young Nigerians to participate actively in the national conversation on the country’s political future.
“Let the South complete its current presidential turn. Let the best Nigerian emerge through a free and credible democratic process. Let competence accompany equity. Let fairness accompany federalism. Let rotation strengthen, rather than weaken, national unity,” the monarch said.
He concluded with an appeal for a political order in which no section of the country would permanently dominate or feel permanently excluded.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. No region should permanently dominate. No region should permanently feel excluded,” he said.
“Let us therefore speak now — not for party, not for candidate, not for tribe, but for Nigeria”, he noted.
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