By Odokara Njoku
Late Dr. Martin Luther King (jnr.) in one of his motivational quotes said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
By this token of faith, some patriotic political stakeholders, individuals as well as sociocultural organisations who are obviously interested in the unity of Nigeria had prior to the commencement of political activities leading to the 2023 general election made strong cases for the South-East region to produce the next president of the country.
This widespread support is on one hand based on the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and on the other hand in line with the agreed power rotation between northern and southern Nigeria.
It is common knowledge that the South-East, being the only region in southern Nigeria that has yet to produce a president under the current democratic dispensation, has become highly disadvantaged in the current political equation in the country.
There is a general belief that the Igbo man has yet to be properly integrated into the political equation of the country and some commentators have variously attributed the current political trajectory of the South-East region in the Nigerian polity to the civil war and its fall outs.
Little wonder, then, that the quest for the region to produce the successor of the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2023, reverberated across the various zones of the country, receiving the blessings of former Nigeria President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae, respectively.
The popular feeling is that it will be disingenuous, repugnant to natural justice, equity, fairness and good conscience to deny the South-East an opportunity to have a shot at the presidency, especially, in 2023.
The region is not lacking in credible, tested and trusted politicians who stand tall above their peers from other regions of the country.
For instance, the leading presidential aspirants from the South-East that declared their intentions to run on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) included former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Pius Anyim and Founder/Former Chief Executive Officer, Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa. These are some of the best administrators the country can boast of at the moment.
Sadly, while the quest for the region to build bridges across the country with a view to achieving the goal was gaining traction outside the zone, some Igbo political elites, out of mischief, overtly or covertly canvassed against the same.
Prominent among the political elites that have been sabotaging this move by displaying clear affront to the quest are Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and his Enugu State counterpart, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Sen. Chimaroke Nnamani and others.
Others are former Abia State governors, Chief Orji Uzor-Kalu, former Imo State governor, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, Chief Chris Ubah etc.
For instance, Ikpeazu had during a consultative meeting between Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and members of the National Working Committee of the PDP and against the interest of the zone, described the latter as the best aspirant in the party. Ikpeazu pleaded that Wike be given the party’s presidential ticket.
On his part, Ugwuanyi did not hide his preference for the presidential aspiration of Wike when on April 22, 2022 he joined the presidential campaign train of the Rivers State governor to Abakaliki, three days after he delegated his Deputy Governor, Mrs Cecelia Ezilo to receive Mr Obi who was in Enugu State for the same purpose.
It is an open secret that the roles played by Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi, Ubah, Ihedioha and their ilk in the PDP forced their brother, Mr Peter Obi, who obviously is the best presidential aspirant in the country at the moment, out of the party.
Recall that Obi, resigned from the PDP on May 24, 2022, citing the difficulty he faced in carrying out his ‘Rescue Nigeria’ mission as the reason for his resignation.
These albatross of the South-East agenda went ahead to kill off the aspiration of the region on the platform of the PDP during the party’s convention to elect the standard bearer of the party in the 2023 presidential election.
Imagine the leading candidates from the South-East region at the PDP primaries, Anyim and Ohabunwa securing 14 and one vote, respectively. This means that while Anyim got only votes from Ebonyi State delegates, Ohuabunwa, other than his personal vote, secured zero vote from his state, Abia. Ikpeazu did not even vote for him.
In the case of All Progressives Congress (APC), records show that the five South-East states had about 389 delegates/votes and of this number, Ebonyi had 39, Imo had 100, Anambra had 100, Abia had 100 and Enugu had 50.
Sadly, only 40 votes from this number went to aspirants from the zone.
It is sad and disheartening that today, the Igbo nation seems to lacks that kind of leadership that can inspire unity, single-mindedness and patriotism which in time past stood them out as a unique race.
The National President, Association of South East Town Union (ASETU), Chief Emeka Diwe, said that the prevailing circumstance has made it imperative to expose the saboteurs of the aspiration for the zone to produce the president of Nigeria in 2023.
According to Diwe, the association has directed all the presidents-general in the region to compile the names of the deviants for committal unto a disgraceful ‘Hall of Shame.’
“ASETU condemns the outcome of the presidential primaries of the two major political parties, whereby, they hatefully failed to produce South-East presidential candidates. The outcomes confirm the deep-rooted hatred for Ndigbo by other tribes in Nigeria.
“As for the deviants, we call on all the traditional heads and ‘Aka-ji-Ofos’ of Igbo land to do the needful with their hindsight,” he said.
Diwe said that the sordid marginalisation of Ndigbo within the Nigerian political space is the reason for ASETU’s continuous cry over the years “and our fear is that it has graduated to the state of alienation.”
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, South-East Renaissance Assembly, Chief Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu, wants Ndigbo to rediscover their sense of unity and collectivism if they must survive in present day Nigeria.
“If we have to survive in this country where the odds seem to be heavily stacked against us, we must, as a matter of urgency, rediscover our sense of unity and collectivism; we must clearly identify what our collective interests are and be resolute in the pursuit of same or run the risk of leaving our children and generations behind them with no lessons on the spirit of Ndigbo which is the spirit of love for fatherland, hard work, and abiding faith in God.”
Therefore, as we count down to the 2023 general elections, our resolve as a people to produce the next president must be stronger.
It is time for those who are sabotaging this move to retrace their steps by putting the Igbo collective interest above personal interests and ambition. Nigeria president of South-East extraction is achievable in 2023 if we are united for the cause.
