I want Igbo nation where I come from to play opposition politics in<\/p>\n
Nigeria, at least in the next ten years. I want Igbo to be in the
\nopposition in the next ten years so that the world will take them serious
\nonce again in matters of Nigerian politics. In the first Republic, Igbo
\ndominated NCNC formed an alliance with Northern based NPC to form a
\ngovernment at the centre. In the Second Republic Igbo dominated NPP again
\nteamed up with NPN to form the National Government at the centre. In the
\nthird Republic during the NRC, SDP era, Chief MKO Abiola won the election
\nfair and square on the platform of SDP but majority of the Igbo led by the
\nlate Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, (Ikemba Nnewi) the late Evans Enwerem,
\nOkwesilieze Nwodo teamed up with prominent Igbo and even some prominent
\nYoruba leaders to support IBB, Shonekan and Abacha to sustain the
\nannulment of that election. Again, for 16 years PDP was in power in
\nNigeria, Igbo was with PDP.
\nNow the outcome of 2015 elections has forced Igbo to be in the opposition
\npolitics. But will the Igbo play opposition politics in Nigeria and hold
\non to it at least in the next 10years just to surprise people like us who
\nthink it is not possible? Can Igbo shame critics and tell them that spoils
\nof office and love for money will not allow them to play opposition
\npolitics? Can Igbo make history by choosing to suffer a little in other to
\nbe relevant again in Nigerian politics? Can Igbo show other Nigerians for
\nonce that they too can go the whole hog of withstanding the pressure of
\nbeing in the opposition for a while?
\nCan Igbo demonstrate capacity and capability now by working with South
\nSouth, the North and other Nigerians to rebuild PDP whatever it will take
\nand even if it takes 20 years? Will Igbo jettison the love to support any
\ngovernment in power to redeem its battered image of playing Ugba and
\nOkpoloko politics? Can Igbo do this for me and other Igbo like me who feel
\nashamed that we must support any government in power in order to survive?
\nWhen did Igbo seize to be a proud people? Did we not fight a Civil War for
\nthree years with empty stomach? Did we not prove to the world that we are
\nstrong men and women in those three awkward years?
\nThe Yoruba nation I know has been in the opposition even since the
\ninception of Nigeria and yet they are not the worst in Nigeria. After the
\nannulment of June 12 1993 presidential elections won by Chief Moshood
\nAbiola, the powers that be tried to console Yoruba by appointing Chief
\nErnest Shonekan the Head of Interim government. Did Yoruba accept
\nShonekan? No, they did not. They did not come out on the streets with
\nGbedu Drums to celebrate Yoruba and Chief Shonekan. Yoruba proudly told
\nthe powers that be that you can only be the Head of State in Nigeria
\nthrough two methods: it is either you achieve it through an election or
\nthrough a successful coup d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00c3\u00a9tat. In case of Chief Shonekan he did not
\nascend to power through any of the process above. He was therefore
\nrejected by the Yoruba. Now if it were the Igbo would they have reasoned
\nthis way? I doubt it. In the struggle for June 12 Chief Abiola was put in
\ndetention, his wife killed. Several Yoruba people were in detention and
\nsome hounded abroad. Chief Abiola was eventually killed. But did Yoruba go
\nto war or resort to self determination? No they did not. They fought back
\nusing common sense and power of ideas.
\nIn 1998 when the presidency was zoned to the South West because the late
\nChief MKO Abiola has paid the Supreme price, Yoruba preferred Chief Olu
\nFalae but the powers that be forced Chief Obasanjo on Nigeria. Now did
\nYoruba accept Obasanjo because he is a Yoruba man? They did not. This
\nunique race rejected Obasanjo for eight years he was in office from 1999
\nto 2007. Till date Yoruba still believe that Obasanjo wasted their eight
\nyears. OBJ was rejected even in his own ward, in his local government and
\nin the whole of the Western Region. That is Yoruba nation for you. Can
\nIgbo do this? I doubt. After the 2003 elections, PDP stole all the States
\nin South West leaving only Lagos because they were afraid of trouble
\nLagosians will give them. From on State (Lagos), the former Governor of
\nLagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu fought back like a wounded lion
\nwith his committed associates to reclaim almost all the States in the
\nSouth West. He did not stop there; he spread his intimidating political
\ntentacles across Nigeria forming alliances across building networks and
\nbridges and the result is what we saw on Saturday March 28 and April 11
\n2015. Now, can any leader in the South East achieve this feat? Where is
\nthe character? Where is the courage? Where is the wisdom and
\nunderstanding? Where is the common sense? Where is the discipline? Where
\nis the capacity and capability?
\nAfter the 2015 elections where Igbo lost deposit by putting all their eggs
\nin one basket without doing their political and arithmetic calculations
\nvery well many Igbo leaders claimed that Igbo voted right. They have
\nargued that Igbo made the right political choices given the circumstances
\non the ground then? Dr Ebigwe, Senator Ekweremmadu, Ken Nnamani, Professor
\nAnya O. Anya, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Peter Obi, Ohaneze, Aka Ikenga, Ndigbo
\nLagos, MASSOB, and even Igbo in diaspora spoke with one voice that Igbo
\nvoted well by pitching their tent with Jonathan. Yes Igbo have said they
\nvoted right but in actions and deeds, they have been busy looking for ways
\nto sneak into APC.
\nAfter President Buhari trounced Jonathan on 28th March 2015 panic gripped
\nIgbo politicians, business men and women and the traders. They have been
\nrunning helter skelter looking for where to seek refuge. I remember a
\nnight in the house of a very successful Igbo trader in Ikoyi, shortly
\nafter the presidential election when it became obvious that PMB has
\ncarried the day. They gathered to contribute money to support APC. Even
\nthose who travelled home for the Easter holiday donated money from the
\nEast just to belong. I felt ashamed that my people cannot defend their
\nhonor and integrity even in times of trouble.
\nOn Saturday 25th July 2015, a group who worked against APC in Lagos called
\nIgbo United Political Forum organized a reception to honour Governor
\nRochas Okorocha. Behind the smokescreen was an attempt to sneak through
\nthe back door to APC having missed the front door on March 28 and April 11
\n2015. The organizers reaped what they sowed as all the APC leaders they
\ninvited stayed away. They licked their wounds and went home to cry. Time
\nand space will not permit me to recall various moves our people have made
\nto find their way to APC. Those who are still very angry about the
\ncolossal loss have pitched their tent with the Biafra mantra. When we lose
\nout in National politics as a result of myopic and timid political
\nthinking and calculations the next move is to resort to ethnic politics.
\nNobody is deceived.
\nMy humble submission is that Igbo should learn how to play opposition
\npolitics and the time to do so is now. Igbo will not die if they are not
\nin APC or government in power. After all Yoruba have been in opposition
\nfor a long time since the 60s and yet they have not perished. Let Igbo
\nwork with other PDP leaders across Nigeria to start re-strategizing,
\nrepositioning, rebranding and rebuilding of PDP. This is the way to
\npolitical rebirth and redemption. If you have many bushes to clear, you
\nhave to sharpen your knife very well.<\/p>\n
Joe Igbokwe
\nLagos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I want Igbo nation where I come from to play opposition politics in Nigeria, at least in the next ten years. I want Igbo to be in the opposition in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n