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Mazi Obi as President come 2007: The Igbo Presidency Question in Nigeria By Prince
Charles Dickson Jos,
Plateau. Recently
while addressing the Press, enfant terrible Wada Nas took up the
gauntlet and spoke courageously on the Igbo Presidency matter. His words
“there is no ethnic group that is more qualified than the other in
producing the president of the country and so more is any more qualified
than the Igbos” I
do not want to be drawn into the controversy of where the Presidency has
been zoned to…for all I care it can be zoned to the South of Sudan all
that matters to the ordinary Nigerian is livelihood. North-North,
South-South or West North! good enough the current Charge de Affair,
Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is not aware of any such arrangement
and that as far as he is concerned with the exception of the South-West
which he represents everyone has equal right to the position. This much
has been collaborated by the man with the gap toothed Minna born General
IBB. The drama is more intriguing with the unrepentant
‘Yoruba-Huasa’ Chair of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Sunday Awoniyi
claiming that there already exists a power sharing formula…. In the
Nigerian movie industry called Nollywood Films end with the tense ‘to
God be the glory’ thus whichever way the drama ends to God be the
glory. The
crux of this piece is the Igbo question as regards the Presidency of
this ‘great’ nation. The April 2003 Polls brought to fore a serious
question, the singleness of purpose on the part of our Igbo brothers to
rule this nation, at that count we had Gen.Ike Nwachukwu, Jim Nwobodo (decampees
from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party PDP). Chris Okotie, pastor
turned politician who insisted God told him he was going
to win…surely the rigging of that particular elections was too much
for the angels of heaven to intervene on his behalf, then the warlord
himself Dim Odumegwu Emeka Ojukwu. If Alex Ekueme had ‘mistakenly won
the PDP primaries only Almighty Allah knows what would have happened.
Not forgetting the show of splendour put up by the new Owelle Rochas
Okorocha in the All Nigerian Peoples Party ANPP before a palace coup saw
him removed bloodlessly. At that particular primaries cum convention the
North taught us all some lesson in political discipline, tact, consensus
for mutual benefit when all concerned stepped down for Gen. Buhari and
without much ado he picked the now Late
Oyi of Nigerian politics Chuba Okadigbo. My dear Rochas was too bemused
that he left the party back to the PDP he had left earlier. Where
did consistency go to in the Igbo dictionary, unity in purpose. The fact
is that it seems the independent liberal democratic tendency of the Igbo
man is fast becoming his Achilles’ knee. The Igbos do not
as of now have the ability to speak with one voice…in the words of
former Anambra State Governor and a veteran of Presidential battles C.
Onoh “how can you talk be talking about Igbo Presidency when you are not
serious at all. When the time comes now, all of you would come
contesting for one position…” this much he said at the just
concluded South-East Caucus parley. In the same forum Alex Ekueme still
bitter about
‘the last betrayal’ said it had become a periodic ritual for Igbos
to meet and strategise, but expressed dismay that the results of such
meetings were” babash” That
the Igbos have suffered in this arrangement called Talk
about reaching out, Rochas Okorocha was in Sokoto to felicitate with the
Caliphate on celebrations making two centuries of existence. The issue
is what was the strength of his politicking…General Ibrahim Babangida
could not dribble his way to Nwankwo Kanu’s wedding but he sent a
representative and a letter that was ‘virtually’ published verbatim
in all the “national dailies” (an Igbo man and footballer). At the
General’s first son’s wedding Vice President Atiku made sure he was
there, although the two are nursing ambitions to the same exalted
office. The same wonderful politicking has seen Gen. Buba Marwa former Therefore
come 2007, the race does look like this. General Buhari is not one known
to shy away from battles, if he ‘lost’ it in 2003, who says he is
ready to loose it again. General Ibrahim Babangida, still smiling
scheming and waiting on Almighty Allah. General Buba Marwa “…I wont
offend anyone but I am certainly not a puppet to anyone…I respect
other contenders…time will tell” Vice
President Atiku Abubakar believes he has been a faithful servant and its
only natural that he be rewarded with the seat. General Kontangora
another of the Minna people is already ‘dreaming’ of the seat. Funnily
for all these men they are already putting finishing touch to selecting
their running mates from the pool that the Igbos would provide them
with. If it is not Orji Kalu, of Abia State the only Governor who dared
the presidency. And already has his poster in some
major cities of the country. Then it will be the lecturing Governor
Nnamani of In
what part of the constitution where the Igbos confined to playing second
fiddle? I
respect the person of Ambassador Fafawora, however the amiable gentleman
goofed in a recent piece in the Comet newspaper where he claimed that
the Igbos did not have a Presidential material…do I blame him? Without
voicing ethnicity was Obasanjo a better Presidential material compared
to any great Igbo son? He further displayed ignorance by even suggesting
that if he was to be given the chance of selecting one, he knew of only
three, namely, Ekueme, Nwobodo and Ojukwu. Let me without sentiments
assert that, for Ekueme, a Mandela presidency is not what the Igbos seek
nor what election
come off that soon. He and Alex Ekueme should gladly join the likes of
Emeka Anyaokwu former Commonwealth scribe in playing elderstatesmen. I
strongly believe and a thousand and one Igbos out there who are
eminently qualified to give leadership to Nigeria Plc. The headboy of Maybe,
a little look at this picture may prove useful. Say if Atiku is
President come 2007,and he rules for two terms. In 2015, will it not be
fair for the South-South or the Middle Belt to aspire for the post and
wont it soon again be turn for the South-West to get it back? These are
among the many reasons why some people are clamouring for the
convergence of a conference of nationalities without ’no-go area’s.
If Obasanjo
was brought to compensate for the Late Chief M. K. O. Abiola debacle,
let us then compensate the Igbos, hence leadership in Our
Igbo brothers, what more can be said than there is work to be done, it
is a choice to sit, watch and cry wolf and marginalization. Rather than
sit and watch the intense lobbying for the post of Vice President. Give the Igbo man a chance to be proven wrong if he cannot be right, one Igbo man can make a difference, he is Mazi Obi! |