2015 presidency, Jonathan and Ndigbo

 By Ugonnabo Ngwu
Next year’s general elections have now thrown our nation into the
eleventh-hour of high-level politicking. Politics and all else remotely
related to it are now having a free run. Since ours is a country where
realpolitik for the next election begins as early as the birth of a new
term; you shouldn’t be surprise seeing politics take the centre stage
barely four months to the polls. All the preps which have been in the
works since 2011 are now relentlessly unleashed on us by politicians. At
the now, we are steadily being treated to all their guile and pretentions,
not forgetting the magic they usually vow to do us should we give them our
ballots.

This is actually a time when we get to see the industry in our supposed
indolent political office holders and their collaborators. No, you can’t
hear about them holidaying in a time like this. Those among them with
ailments more dire than the ones for which they would have jetted out to
the best hospitals in the world, would at this time remain in the country
to treat same here.  Their peers who could not help but be hospitalized
abroad at the moment keep reassuring us the improvements they are
recording and how they would soon return to be with us. Who knows? This
may be the reason we always hear of politicians collapsing in the middle
of electioneering campaigns and rallies.

It is basically about the people, at this moment. So they go all out;
sacrificing their health and wellbeing just to secure our mandate. This
speaks to how rewarding and attractive our political offices are. They
simply sacrifice themselves for the office which avails them the power to
sacrifice us for themselves. Their office of interest is paradoxically one
that hands its occupant the power of life and death; an office that
extricates one and his unborn generation from the grip of poverty. How
they love to serve! But we all know that the said service is such that
sees them servicing themselves and a few cronies.

Their new-found diligence is just to one end: win over to their side
voters who would allow them the opportunity of offering this corrupt form
of service. They send foot-soldiers when their pretentions and current
preoccupations wouldn’t allow them to physically take up the
responsibility. Of course, the errand-boys are always within reach. Some
of them are so eager to do the job that they wouldn’t mind allowing the
actual job for which they are being paid by taxpayers to suffer while they
take up the role of what the Igbo would call Otinkpu. Yet, what is at the
heart of their advocacy for a particular candidate remains to sway support
for their principal who is expected to handsomely reward them with juicy
political offices. That’s essentially Nigeria’s version of democracy where
the people are made to matter now only to be made to suffer once the
elections are done with. A corruption of democracy, if you like!

They treat us with much indulgence in order to steal the most prized
possession democracy hands us – our votes. They shamelessly come to woo
the same people whose lot they have not helped to better all these while.
Now the chickens have come home to roast, necessitating pleas for
endorsements, new sets of promises, parleys, supply of stomach-structures
or what have you to be thrown up. Again, the sole intent remains: make the
electorates look past earlier broken promises into believing the new
irresistible ones we have churned out. What a simpleton they think of us!

With all sense of propriety, it appears no other section of the country
have taken in this lie like those of the South-Eastern extraction. But
then, they may have elected to be gullible since they just can’t seem to
assert themselves and what they want in a hawkish Nigeria. This part of
the country appears to be the first power-hungry leaders turn to whenever
they want to continue in office. It is a common knowledge that Ifeanyi
Uba, Udenta Udenta, Peter Obi are the masquerades behind the irritating
TAN. Without going too far into history, we can take instances from the
Abacha’s, Obasanjo’s and now Jonathan’s quest to continue as president.
Those who were always at the heart of the campaigns for these leaders
continuity are mostly from the South East. Yet, it isn’t as if the zone
benefited the most from these governments.

It is against this backdrop that I was heartened when I learnt of Igbo
leaders in Lagos turning down the request of a pro-Jonathan team who had
come to lure them into supporting the re-election bid of President
Goodluck Jonathan. Not even the fact that those who came for the advocacy
were their kinsmen could make the Ndigbo leaders of thought buckle to
their mission. They resisted and tried to, at least, stand their ground
before the setting up of a committee saved the day. Don’t worry we are
getting there. I’m talking of the time when Ndigbo would stand by their
conviction and not even concede to the setting up of any committee to get
them to change their mind.

It bears clarifying that it isn’t as if this writer is anti-Jonathan. The
president can go ahead to win his much-cherished re-election for all yours
sincerely cares. What is at issue is that one who has betrayed the
confidence you reposed in him or her should spare you the torture of
returning to you to ask you to trust him or her one more time. It even
becomes more humiliating when the person in question sends your kin to
come and woo the same you for him; reminds me of Absalom. Check out those
carried the gospel: Anyim Pius Anyim, said to be representing Jonathan,
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker, House of
Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Senator Hope Uzodinma; Minister of Labour
and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; National Publicity Secretary of the PDP,
Olisa Metuh, Ifeanyi Ubah and Peter Obi.

The pro-Jonathan team did come to meet with Igbo leaders amongst whom were
the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo- Igariwey;
president of Ndigbo Lagos, Prof. Anya O. Anya; president of Aka Ikenga,
Chief Goddy Uwazurike; former chairman of Diamond Bank, Paschal Dozie;
former military administrator of Lagos, Admiral Ndubisi Kanu (rtd); former
president, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Dr. Raymond Obieri; Eze Ndigbo
of Ikeja, Eze Uche Dimgba and president of Ohanaeze Lagos, Fabian
Onwughalu.

These men who qualify to be protagonists of today’s essay refused to be
cowed notwithstanding the highly-placed nature of Jonathan’s emissaries.
Their insistence on not guaranteeing Jonathan their votes and those of
their followers made the parley which began by 8pm to linger till the
early hours of the next day. These men held that it was unreasonable for
Ndigbo to work for the president again going by what is on ground.

Some of these issues on ground include the fact the much hyped Second
Niger Bridge is under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement,
meaning it would be tolled on completion for about 25 years, whereas a
similar project in Benue State is being funded by the Federal Government
and would not be tolled. They also whined about the Jonathan’s government
lack of commitment in creating a sixth state for the south east, even as
they corrected that the so-called Enugu International Airport, which the
Jonathan campaigners are mouthing as part of his achievements was approved
by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and not Jonathan.

The Igbo leaders raised a lot more issues which space will not permit the
listing of all their dissatisfactions with the Jonathan’s candidacy as far
as 2015 presidential election is concerned. It was even reported that
“Ndigbo in Lagos are considering changing camp and we will soon meet with
Tinubu and Buhari on the way forward because we have lost it in the PDP.”

It is gratifying that the Igbo leaders are beginning to do what they
should have been doing all this while. Had it been the zone was this
reluctant in making available their bloc vote to presidential aspirants
who had court them when elections are around the corner, its people would
surely have got a better deal out of the Nigerian state. Bearing in mind
the calculations being made by the major political parties regarding next
year’s presidential election, the South East zone seems to be the
beautiful bride. It should thus continue making the most of the fact that
it is a swing zone which would likely decide who wins next year’s
presidential election.

You can use the twitter handle @ugsylvester for further discussion on the
subject of this essay.