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Reconstructing The Esau-Jacob Paradox: An Analysis of the Political Drama in Anambra State By Paulinus Anaedu
On April 19, 2003, there was a rape of democracy, a political robbery in a scale that has never been experienced in the history of elections in Nigeria. The extent of this rape and robbery was most manifest in Anambra State, a state created out of the old Anambra State; and which typifies anything and everything wrong with the Igbo man in particular and with Nigeria in general.
The most painful aspect of this rape and robbery was that it was perpetrated by the Presidency, the supposedly beacon of moral probity in any country where ethics and principles apply in politics. In a broad day political robbery, a lame Anambra State PDP that never campaigned for the elections won the governorship election against an APGA candidate, Mr Peter Obi, whom Anambrians had come to trust, not just because he came from a family that was known for diligence, hard work and integrity, but also whom they saw as a man of independent and unquestionable means, with a clear plan and agenda for the development of Anambra State and who never wanted to mortgage his personal integrity for any political success.
I happened to be in Anambra State as the irresponsible and unashamed so-called Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC (independent indeed!), announced Dr Chris Ngige of the PDP as the winner of the gubernatorial election in Anambra State against the more popular and the people’s choice, Mr Peter Obi. I was really moved to tears as I witnessed the generality of Anambarians, especially old men and women, weeping openly that they had been robbed of their votes. This expression of sadness and disappointment cut across religious and political lines which saw some honest members of the PDP voicing publicly their discontent with how the election (or rather the selection) was conducted.
For the first time in the history of Anambra State politics, Anambarians decided to do away with god-fatherism in elections in the State. Again, the Protestant-Catholic politics that had always bedevilled the State’s politics could not rear its ugly head (at this time; it will later) as the majority of the people rallied behind Peter Obi. Unfortunately, Anambarians never reckoned with Obasanjo and his hatchet man in the State, Mr Chris Uba, a notorious school drop-out, who stole his way into wealth, bought and bribed his way into the echelon of PDP leadership including President Olusegun Obasanjo himself. Although Chris Ubah succeeded in buying all the three senatorial seats, all the 10 members of the Federal House of Assembly and 29 out of 30 State House of Assembly members the previous week, Peter Obi was still able to use his principled non-violence, and hoping on the eternal prevalence of truth, to convince Anambarians to still go out and vote again during the governorship election which most of the people had decided to boycott since their votes never counted in the actual outcome of the so-called elections. On Election Day, Anambarians turned out en masse, only for their votes to be stolen once again. Of course, Anambarians knew they could never win a physical fight against Obasanjo and the Tsunami that was the PDP. Hence, they resorted to what has always helped Nigerians most in their most tragic and difficult circumstances: prayer (You can inquire from the Abachas if I’m wrong)!
Among the Igbo, a very sensitive and effective way of invoking a curse by someone who is being persecuted or suppressed is:
In my discussions and interactions with the elders in the villages, that is, with people who have no political clout, they could only voice their frustrations in the manner I described above. There were so much prayers and curses against the perpetrators and master-minds of this political robbery that now, with hindsight, I can say the turn of events in Anambra State since July 10, 2003, were answers to the prayers of the traumatised citizens of the State. I know of many Churches and parishes which began special prayers in the pattern of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s Prayer for Nigeria in Distress (which many still believe was the cause of the heavenly coup against Abacha, the former military dictator) and Prayer against Bribery and Corruption in Nigeria, specifically adapted to and for the events of the Anambra gubernatorial election. My reflection on the events motivated me into making this spiritual interpretation of the events that took place and are still taking place in Anambra State.
I was at my place of pastoral assignment in Lagos when we were stupefied with the story of the abduction of a sitting Governor in the person of Dr Chris Ngige on July 10, 2003. As the story developed, it was like a fairy-tale or rather like one of the not very few poorly produced home videos from Nollywood. The whole event sounded so stupid, if not so childish, to be true that today, so many legends are still developing around it, even after the principal actors had given their versions of the story. This is not strange at all because incredulity gives birth to legends and as such, the abduction of a sitting Governor is still incredible. If it actually did happen, then the perpetrator confirmed what he actually is, a dunce-school-drop-out who believes that with money, anything and everything is possible. He was too poor in judgement and badly mistaken. He never knew that money could buy one power, position and votes but not authority.
I left Nigeria on Feb. 2004 for studies and missionary work in Austria, a country of less than nine million inhabitants out of which about two million are foreigners. As it happens to any first traveller outside of Nigeria, especially to Europe and America, I was filled with wonder and admiration at how things work with near perfection and orderliness. However, my admiration soon turned into burning anger that this small country whose population is less than that of Lagos State alone and whose only source of income is taxation and tourism is able to achieve such a feat to be one of the best economies in Europe and a place where life expectancy is second only to Sweden.
My anger was not mitigated but rather increased whenever I visited any website for any news about Nigeria and continued to read the shame and arson going on in my home State of Anambra and how the so-called President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is playing the Ostrich and making himself a judge between two armed robbers, Chris Ngige and Chris Ubah. Naturally, I lost interest in visiting any Nigerian website.
However, late in 2004, news began to trickle in that Gov. Chris Ngige is weathering the storm of the presidency and his adversaries and is beginning to deliver some dividends of democracy to the citizens of Anambra State. At first I thought it was a form of propaganda which was perfected by the immediate past Governor of the State, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, which has been resuscitated by the current administration. Not until some well meaning people who were not given to rumours and gossips began to confirm the stories did I decide to get back to the Net where I picked up one article that seems to summarise all that Gov. Ngige had achieved within two years as the governor of Anambra State. The article stated, among other things, that:
Surely, there must have been some bits of exaggerations in the article because it was a rejoinder by one Fred Chukwulobe to an article attacking Governor Chris Ngige by a sympathiser of Mr Peter Obi. But, as one who had experienced at first hand the insecurity (having been attacked by armed robbers in my parish at Umuawulu), infrastructural decay, educational backslide, strikes caused by non-payment of salaries, death of so many pensioners who were referred to as deadwoods by the former Gov. Mbadinuju etc., if as much as 40% of the things written by this writer were true, then Gov. Chris Ngige is nothing short of a Miracle Worker. The first question that came to my mind was: Where does he get the money for all these in a State that was bankrupted by its governors and so-called godfathers before he came into office?
Some of my friends from Anambra who live here in Austria and who have visited home recently came back with news of so much improvement and hope. Even the greatest critics among them, especially of how Ngige became Governor, could not but give credit to what they called an incredible achievement in two years, though some still maintain their position on the basis of moral principles. But don’t get me wrong, all Ngige is doing does not justify how he came to power, i.e., through rigging and stealing of the people’s votes. And this is where my Jacob-Esau analogy comes into play.
As I read and heard these achievements of Governor Ngige within two years in office, it was as if I was re-reading Mr Peter Obi’s manifesto before the elections. Hence my conclusion that it is Peter Obi’s spirit that is working in Governor Ngige. Thus had I previously titled this write-up: These Hands are Esau’s but the Voice is Jacob’s!
A few articles I read on the internet have tried illogically and imprudently to criticise Peter Obi ranging for romancing with Chris Ubah, to urging him to drop his case against the Governor. I must confess that, from what I know about Peter Obi, he has handled this situation in a most mature and civilised manner, quite rare among Nigerian politicians. Without mincing words, I can categorically state that the case filed by Peter Obi against INEC, PDP and the governor was the singular reason that has kept Gov. Chris Ngige as the governor of Anambra State for so long. Without this case, the shameless PDP leadership would have dealt Ngige’s case as one of their usual family affairs where criminals are decorated with National honours because they are faithful party supporters just as they have once more behaved true to type by nominating the infamous Chris Ubah, the self-confessed election-rigger, as a member of the board of Trustees of their party. The moral force of the press to allow justice take its course is what has been holding back the PDP from completing its game of shame in Anambra State, even if justice will be eventually manipulated in the end.
I am not one of the advocates that Peter Obi should have brought this case out of court because I believe that truth and justice must ultimately triumph over lies, falsehood and injustice. No amount of good works being done by Ngige will undo the unquantifiable moral harm that has already been unconsciously ingrained in the minds of kids, that is, that one can steal as long as one does charity with what one has stolen! However, even though evil is evil and must be avoided and/or punished, when faced with an inevitable choice that must be made between two evils or evil doers, there could a lesser evil or lesser evil perpetrator than another to be chosen. This is called the principle of double-effect. Thus, one who does charity with his stolen wealth is definitely better than one who makes trouble with everybody around with his stolen wealth. This is the difference between Chris Ngige and Chris Uba. Maybe Obasanjo was right to have described the two as robbers (one of the very few right things he has ever said as President). Anambarians, having experienced the two robbers, can safely conclude from their experiences who, between the two, is a more human and humane robber. As Obasanjo and the PDP have forced the two robbers on Anambarians, I think it is by divine providence that Ngige is now the other and the more benign thief; after all, it takes a thief to catch or steal from a thief. This does not justify stealing anyway!
And where does this political equation now leave Mr Peter Obi, the Esau in our paradox. If Peter Obi finally succeeds through the Tribunal to get justice and be declared the winner of the gubernatorial election which he actually won, that will be a victory, not only for Peter Obi and Anambarians but also ultimately for Truth and Justice which he set out to claim. Even if he does not succeed (and I would not be surprised if he does not, but of course, not that Ngige may complete his term, anyway) due to the usual technical grounds, Mr Peter Obi will still stands tall in the hall of history and as a symbol of moral and political courage, sympathy and independence yet to be equalled in the history of Anambra State.
The Peter Obi Anambarians rallied around during the gubernatorial campaigns will not be sad or disappointed at the turn of events in Anambra State because the New Anambra State being created by Governor Chris Ngige is becoming the Anambra State of his dream even if he is not the one taking it into that Promised Land he dreamt about. I can say this with certainty because I know what moved Peter into vying for the Governorship seat of Anambra State.
Mr Peter Obi is not a typical Nigerian politician (of course a typical Nigerian politician is a political harlot and contractor!). He is just too refined to be one. An experience in 2001 at the Onitsha Head-Bridge during the heydays of the Bakassi Boys on his way back to Lagos, after a visit to his village made him decide to run for the Government House at Awka. On this fateful day, the usually unmotorable expressway that joined the bridge which connects Onitsha and Asaba was blocked by a crowd of spectators chanting, clapping and hailing. Peter stopped to know what was going on. He got the shock of his life. Lo and behold, a group of Bakassi Boys were tossing a blood-dripping human head on the Express-Road in the form of an amateur-children’s football called ‘Ball-U’. And people were standing around enjoying the ‘show’ and clapping! Peter could not imagine that humanity could degenerate to this level of depravity. There and then, he made up his mind to run for the governorship of Anambra State to be able to stop the carnage and provide security without Bakassi Boys. Today, would Peter not be happy that there is now semblance of security and sanity in Anambra State without Bakassi Boys? The Peter Obi we knew would definitely be happy that much of his plans for Anambra State are already being achieved. However, like all of us, he has every right to be disappointed that he is not the one directly accomplishing them. But he must be rest assured that the name and spirit of Peter Obi are definitely at work in Gov. Chris Ngige, whether by intention or by default. Hence, the hands at work right now in Anambra State are Ngige’s while the voice of morality and conscience is Peter’s.
As we await the outcome of the appeals, my final words to Anambarians are: God has not failed you; He writes straight on a crooked line; your prayers and cries were never in vain. So never stop praying because the vultures are still very much alive and waiting! |