2027: Ex-Obi campaign chief joins Tinubu re-election push

A former chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), Marcel Ngogbehei, has been appointed Director-General of the Tinubu Must Stay Movement’s alliance with the Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration (DMI), as political forces position ahead of the 2027 elections.

The appointment puts a former key organiser of Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign in a political structure mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, with a focus on grassroots engagement and public accountability.

The appointment was announced in a statement by the alliance’s Communications Directorate. The movement’s Board of Trustees Chairman and Convener, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said his more than 25 years of working with Ngogbehei had convinced him of his leadership capacity.

“I have known Marcel for over 25 years. We have worked together, faced difficult challenges together and delivered results together. I know his character, I know his ability, and I trust him to deliver,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi cited their work at Galaxy Backbone Plc and the Central Bank of Nigeria, where they contributed to technology projects, including the CBN Cashless Policy and the bank’s Enterprise Architecture function, which he said generated savings of more than $1 million.

Ngogbehei previously served as Director of Strategy of the Peter Obi Support Network and later chaired the CPO. He subsequently became DMI Director-General before the organisation formalised its alliance with the Tinubu Must Stay Movement.

The movement said the alliance would challenge opposition parties to offer concrete alternatives to government policies while insisting that the Tinubu administration should also be judged by its performance.

“Nigerians are tired of promises without clear plans. If you say the government is wrong, tell the people what you will do better. How will you create jobs? How will you reduce the cost of living? How will you improve electricity, schools and hospitals? And where will the money come from?” the statement said.

Ngogbehei, a Computer and Electronics Engineering graduate of Lagos State University, has worked on technology and public-sector projects in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. He also founded GiveBack2Humanity, an initiative focused on youth mentorship and community development.

As Director-General, he will coordinate the alliance’s organisational structures, grassroots mobilisation and civic-accountability activities ahead of the 2027 polls.