Stephen Ukandu, News & Features Editor
The utterances, actions, and inactions of some Igbo political elite are, undoubtedly, in sharp contrast to the efforts towards actualising the Nigeria President of Igbo extraction in 2023.
It is disheartening to note that at a time when the project is gaining the support of prominent Nigerians from outside the South-East like the Niger Delta Leader, Chief Edwin Clark; and Pa Ayo Adebanjo of the Afenifere, some Igbo political elite openly work against the project.
The affected Igbo political elite for reasons best known to them but certainly not unconnected with selfish interests, decided to openly canvass support for their choice candidates from outside the zone even when they know that some eminent Igbo sons are in the 2023 presidential race.
Okezie Ikpeazu
For instance, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State did not hide his support for Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State even when he knew that an illustrious son of Abia and indeed Igboland, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, was also contesting for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential ticket.
Okezie not only pledged but actually mobilised support for Wike who according to him, is the only PDP aspirant that could wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and revive the economy.
When Wike visited Abia to solicit support prior to the PDP National Convention that produced Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential flag bearer, Gov. Ikpeazu assured the Rivers Governor that Abia delegates would give him their votes.
The Governor threw tact and diplomacy to the winds and made his support for Wike so obvious that he never considered the likely reaction of other contestants in the eventuality that Wike failed to pick the PDP ticket as is the case now.
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu who said that “Nigeria does not need a colourless President who changes like weather,” declared that he had no regrets supporting Wike.
Gov. Ikpeazu described Wike as “a firm character that Nigeria needs at this critical period to move forward.”
He said he was not ashamed to associate with Wike’s presidential project because he was fully convinced that based on the antecedents of the Rivers’ Governor, he would deliver.
Giving reasons for his support for Wike, Ikpeazu declared: ” I’m not ashamed to be associated with the strategic project at a precarious time in the country.
“He stands out as a great leader; he has intervened in security and in social stability.
“At a time like this, we need a President whose position is not in doubt in any matter. I pitched my tent with Wike because I know where he stands on every issue. We can’t afford to have a President that is colourless; one who changes like weather.
“Wike has paid his dues. He has faught for our party and he has never changed party. We want somebody who can take very tough decisions to move Nigeria forward. Nigeria needs someone with sufficient courage to take decisions. Any time you look behind your shoulder you will see Gov. Ikpeazu.”
Unfortunately, similar reception was not extended to ex-Gov. Peter Obi, an aspirant from the same PDP, when he visited Abia to canvass support before his eventual defection to the Labour Party.
In fact, unlike Wike who was treated to a royal banquet at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Umuahia, Obi was treated as an orphan.
Perhaps more appalling was the lack of encouragement to Mazi Ohuabunwa who hails from Abia as he got only one vote at the primaries (most probably the one he cast for himself) out of the 17 delegates from his native Abia.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State was also busy massing up support for Gov. Wike, extending his influence for Wike to the neighbouring Ebonyi State against the candidature of the former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, from Ebonyi.
Ugwuanyi openly canvassed support and mobilised for Wike, from the South-South, against his own South-East presidential aspirants.
Orji Kalu & Jim Nwobodo
On the other hand, Abia former Governor and the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, is in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, playing the same anti-Igbo card.
The roles of Kalu and Chief Jim Nwobodo at the Jos convention which denied the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme the PDP presidential ticket are still fresh in our memories.
Chief Nwobodo did not hide his support for Atiku who he said would easily facilitate the Nigeria President of Igbo extraction project.
Senator Kalu who had initially declared interest in the APC presidential ticket, suddenly pulled from the race on the excuse that the party failed to cede its ticket to the South-East.
But no sooner had he withdrawn from the race than he began to drum support for the presidential ambition of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan from the North-East.
Kalu’s action, according to pundits familiar with his political history and craftiness, is nothing short of a smart way to strategically position himself a major beneficiary in the event of a probable emergence of Lawan.
For the former Abia Governor to be mouthing support for the North despite the retinue of eminent aspirants from the South-East in APC is not only suspicious but the height of treachery.
When Lawan, Kalu’s man was roundly beaten by Asuwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu at the APC Presidential convention, Kalu shamelessly switched camp to Tinubu whose ambition he had initially opposed.
Kalu was the first to publicly propose and advocate Muslim/Muslim ticket for Tinubu and his running mate all in his desperation to warm his way back to Tinubu’s camp.
The former Abia Governor despite his knowledge of the religious plurality of Nigeria and its sensitivity in politics dismissed the matter with a wave of the hand, thus sacrificing the interest of the millions of Christians in the country on the altar of his selfish political interest.
Gov. Hope Uzodinma also did not support any APC presidential aspirant from the South-East but just like Senator Kalu, did not hide his support for Lawan.
When Lawan was thrashed by Tinubu, Uzodinma smartly began to sing praises for Tinubu.
He never mobilised support for his fellow Imolites – Chief Emeka Nwajiuba or Senator Rochas Okorocha – that ran for the same office.
Uzodinma did not even consider his Ebonyi State counterpart, Gov. Dave Umahi, his fellow and only co-APC Governor from the zone that was also in the presidential race.
Dave Umahi
On his own part, Gov. Umahi who had claimed that he dumped the PDP for APC because the former was not ready to cede its presidential ticket to the South-East, never cared to cooperate with other presidential aspirants from the zone for a possible consensus knowing the population disadvantage of the zone.
After losing out at the APC convention, Umahi has not hidden his support for Tinubu, perhaps in his bid to prove that he is a loyal party man.
Umahi has also engaged in anti-Igbo and unguarded utterances when he declared that Ebonyi votes in 2023 were for Tinubu and not for Peter Obi a fellow Igbo still in the presidential race although from another party.
It sounds very strange for Umahi to assume that the interest of the South-East would be better protected under a Tinubu presidency than the Obi presidency.
Emeka Ihedioha
Former Governor of Imo State, Chief Emeka Ihedioha was among the political elite that sabotaged the Igbo presidential project when he supported his former boss, Aminu Tambuwal, against aspirants from the South-East.
Just like Orji Kalu, the moment Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku at the PDP convention, Ihedioha who was touted as scheming to be Tambuwal’s running mate switched camp to Atiku.
But unfortunately for him Atiku is mature enough to know his genuine supporters, no wonder the PDP flag bearer never even looked his way for a running mate despite rumours to that effect.
Ike Ekweremadu
Another Igbo leading politician who has secured for himself a comfortable place in the Igbo politics hall of shame is the former Deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu.
Ekweremadu only recently before his current travails in London without any dissimulation declared that Igbos will not waste their votes in 2023 by voting for Peter Obi. Instead, he claimed that Igbo votes will go to Atiku Abubakar from the North-East. This statement has annoyed many Igbos not just from the South-East especially coming at a time Peter Obi is considered a leading candidate for the presidency in 2023.
Recall also that in 2019, the same Ekweremadu was among those who kicked at Peter Obi’s choice as Atiku’s running mate claiming that enough consultation did not take place before the choice. But what was very clear then was that Ekweremadu was positioning himself to be picked to run with Atiku.
Chris Uba, Stella Oduah, Uche Ekwunife
Other South-East politicians strenuously working against any chance of an Igbo person emerging President of Nigeria include, Chris Uba, Senators Stella Oduah and Uche Ekwunife. There were reports that they threesome played key role in pushing Peter Obi out of the PDP by seizing the party structure in the zone with the help of outside forces. They have even doubled down on their anti-Igbo behaviour by openly declaring that Obi will never win in Anambra State.
North vs South-East Politicians
It is still a puzzle why some Igbo political elite believe that the most political expedient thing for Ndigbo at this critical time is to throw their support behind the North and the West.
When then have they extracted commitment from the North or South-West that they would sincerely back the long aspiration of Ndigbo to produce Nigeria’s President?
When will the South-East political elite begin to put regional interest above personal interest as Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State did at the PDP convention in Abuja, when he, shortly before the commencement of voting, stepped down for Atiku?
There is no gainsaying the fact that Tambuwal is the real hero of Atiku’s victory at the PDP convention.
Tambuwal did not consider the feelings of Wike who stuck out his neck and lavished his personal and Rivers resources to deliver him against Atiku at the Port Harcourt convention in 2019.
For Tambuwal, what mattered most was the interest of the North, which was to clinch the PDP presidential ticket, so he perished his own ambition and not minding how his political ally, Wike, feels about it. When will Igbo political elite learn?
Reactions from the South-East
Reacting to the attitude of some Igbo political elite who sabotaged Igbo interest at the just-concluded PDP presidential primaries, one of the aspirants and an illustrious Igbo son, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, expressed utter disbelief at the level of treachery displayed by some self-acclaimed Igbo leaders.
He, however, noted that those who betrayed Igbo interest for selfish reasons should be ready to account for their actions on the day of reckoning.
According to him, “it is good for the breeze to blow for the anus of the hen to be seen. Now, we have seen the true Igbo and the wolves in sheep clothing. Now we have seen those who claim to be Igbo but in actuality, they are not. Nobody is sure of their origin even though they answer Igbo names. That’s why when they see money, they forget their father’s name.
“Some of them don’t even know who their true father is. They were only told who their father is, and they answer their name.
“But there is a day of reckoning, and we shall take an account of those who are Igbo, those who support Igbo cause, those who are mercenaries parading in the name of Igbo, those who are making money out of Igbo blood, sufferings and condition in Nigeria.
“We know the mercantile Igbo; we know the political harlots among the Igbo elite. On the day of reckoning everybody will be held accountable.
“The question will be: What did you do about the Igbo condition? When the Igbo were being excluded, what did you do? On that day all those who are supporting Igbo will give account, and those who are betraying Igbo interest will also give account.
“That day will certainly come. It is as sure as death. and all I know is that people should not, on that day, deny what they said or begin to claim that they were misquoted or look for easy way of escape.
“They should realise that they are being caught on tape, and there will be no time for denials.
“It’s unfortunate that when the Igbo are crying of marginalisation and mistreatment, lack of equity; at a time when most Igbo agree that we should fight for this equity, some Igbo are selling their votes and others are campaigning for and prefer other people to their fellow Igbo brothers. It’s within their rights anyway but every action has equal and opposite reaction. There is a consequence for every action, and I pray that when the consequences come, they should bear the consequences of their actions.”
Meanwhile, Igbo youths under the aegis of Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, are blowing hot against all those involved in sabotaging the efforts of Ndigbo to produce Nigeria’s President in 2023.
President General of COSEYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, told Ikengaonline that the youths were talking records of all those working against Igbo interest.
He accused South-East governors, except Professor Chukwuma Soludo of Abambra State, of sabotaging Igbo interest.
He said: “The number one people that sabotaged Igbo interest are the South-East governors especially PDP governors. Okezie Ikpeazu campaigned for Nyesom Wike of Rivers State just as Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State also did same thing.
“The only Governor that worked for Igbo interest is Professor Chukwuma Soludo because he supported APGA to have a presidential candidate who is Igbo. Other South-East Governors worked against Igbo interest.”
COSEYL vowed to pay back the ‘treacherous’ Governors in their own coin in 2023, insisting that none of them seeking election into the senate will be supported.
“Igbo youths are very angry with them. It is very appalling that the people who are supposed to defend the interest of the Igbo nation are the ones sabotaging the collective interest of Ndigbo.
“We know that some of them are contesting election in 2023 but they are not going to win any election. The people will reject them at the polls because they are the enemies of Igbo interest.
“We are going to spearhead the campaign against any South-East Governor that worked against the interest of Ndigbo,” COSEYL stated.
Meanwhile, an Aba-based rights activist, Emeka Mba, has said that any political party that denied the South-East its presidential ticket, should be rejected by the zone.
He declared that youths from the old Eastern region would soon meet in Port Harcourt to take a collective position on the sad development.
“Any political party that consider Ndigbo undeserving to fly its presidential flag does not deserve to exist in Ala-Igbo. The APC & PDP have pulled the tolerance of Ndigbo to its bearable limit.
“Pressure groups across the East will meet in PH very soon to agree on the next line of action.”
