Ndi'Igbo and Obasanjo
By
Let me begin by restating that the quest by Ndi'Igbo to have one of their sons- if you like daughters occupy the Presidential Villa, Abuja is a legitimate case. But it is being wrongly presented and pursued. I am afraid we are repeating the mistakes of 1998/99. In rallying round Dr. Alex Ekwueme in his Presidential bid, we proceeded as if no other people or section of the country mattered. We pretended or tended to create the impression that only the Igbo could elect him President.
In the end, it proved counterproductive. For, once those who were 'in-charge' decided on whom to give the job, it was easy to swing sentiments against Ekwueme
and his Igbo brothers. In Jos, venue of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention, all what they did was to tell the delegates, especially from the North,
that this "Igbo President" is most likely to be tele-guided by his people. They told them that if Ekwueme was elected, Igbos would see the Presidency as their
exclusive preserve, given the way they had canvassed for it. They argued that unlike Ekwueme's case, the Yoruba, kinsmen of Olusegun Obasanjo, Ekwueme's main
opponents, were not crazy about Obasanjo's candidacy and may, therefore, not want to nose around the presidency, even if he won the election. They succeeded,
therefore, in selling Obasanjo as a more Pan- Nigerian aspirant than Ekwueme. And pronto, the entire goodwill Ekwueme had garnered during the campaign period
came cracking. Obasanjo was a Nigerian candidate and still remains so. He is NOT a Yoruba candidate. As far as I am concerned, we have fallen into the same trap
again. The rhetoric about Igbo president, Igbo president has reached a crescendo where non Igbos have, once again, become suspicious of our real intentions to
"produce" the president come 2003.
In my view, elevating the issue of Igbo president or Igbo Presidency to an official (Igbo) policy is wrong. It is inelegant both literarily and conceptually.
It makes more sense to talk about a President of "Igbo extraction" but again the point ought to be made that the job of a President of a country is not given to
a tribe or a section. It is given to an individual but who, of course, has to come from among a people. All over the world, the search is first on the right
(individual) candidate. I have never heard of a collective aspiration for the presidency of a nation. Once it is so allowed, such a country ceases to be a
nation. We should elevate the debate and quest. We have a Nigerian President in Obasanjo who is not a tribal or sectional candidate for 2003. The search is
over. This is the reality of today. The moment of truth. We should borrow a leaf from the composition of the group of eminent Nigerians that went to Ota April
1, 2002, to convince Obasanjo to run for a second term. The group cut across the nation. It was not a Yoruba affair. Neither was it a Northerners' affairs, nor
that of Efiks, Urhobos, Kalabaris, Hausas, Fulanis, and what have you.
Since that visit, a lot have been said in the newspapers but my attitude to the entire thing is to congratulate Nigerians for being able to afford themselves
the opportunity of talking their democratic aspirations a step further. Their call on President Olusegun Obasanjo to continue in office after May, 2003 by
seeking re-election, is, to my mind, a pointer to political maturity on the part of the citizenry.
I get amused each time I hear that the nineteen governors and twenty-one ministers plus a handful of other categories of politicians who were in Ota on April 1
2002 were not speaking on behalf of Nigerians, but for themselves. What could be more deceitful and fallacious. Since after the Ota visit and the subsequent
declaration, how many Nigerians trooped to the streets to demonstrate against the actions? How many State Houses of Assembly passed motions condemning their
governors who participated? None, of course. Initially, there were pockets of commentaries here and there in disapproval but those concerned went back to their
shelves the moment they realised that, just as they were labelling the governors and ministers, they were also speaking for themselves only. Some who attempted
to invoke sentiments by painting the Abacha days scenario quickly discovered that even as loathful as Nigerians are to those events of the past, they are not
convinced that the two situations are the same.
Such were the circumstances until April 25, when the historical OBASANJO SPEAKS event took place in Abuja. I have since then heard people interpret to
themselves their impression of what took place. One of such is this talk about the absence of political big wigs from some sections of the country from the
event. As far as I am concerned, this is nothing but a consolation put-up by the half-hearted opposition to Obasanjo's re-electioning bid to save face. It is
needless to repeat the names of the dignitaries that attended the Obasanjo declaration here but one can say without any fear of contradictions that, viewed from
any perspective, the audience was, in practical terms, the highest collection of Nigeria's most relevant and current political gladiators. Any thing to the
contrary is mere pretense. Those who were not there, whether from the North, South, East or West, didn't need to be there, had no business to be there. I have
read in the press of certain names that were invited but which were not there and I express surprise that the organisers even had to bother. They didn't need to
be invited or even expected at that occasion. For me, therefore, anybody who is losing sleep because of the absence of some individuals at that occasion, is
merely tearing his Christmas dresses for nothing As far as I am concerned it does not offer the barometer for gauging the attitude of those absentees or the
interest they represent on the Obasanjo reelection project.
Which brings me to one cruicial issue which is capable of creating serious problems in the days ahead. This is the attempt to mystify the position of some
individuals, groups or sections over the 2003 elections, generally and the Obasanjo re-election bid in particular. I hasten, however, to call the attention of
the Nigerian press to this given its tendency to try to thrive on this. My advise is that it is not necessary. The press will, in fact, be serving the nation
better by sounding less sanctimonious about certain individuals, groups or sections. Nigerians do not deserve to be subjected to any psychological drilling to
be able to elect their leaders. The matter of an individual wanting to stand for an election is quite simple. You either support that individual or you don't.
Simple. But today what do we have? We have a situation where we are chasing around individuals to know whether or not they stand for a certain candidate or
aspirant, This situation becomes even more worrisome by the fact that such individuals are known to nurse secret support for the aspirants but for reasons best
known to them, they are reluctant or perhaps are afraid to make it public. As far as I am concerned, it is such people that pose danger to the forth coming
transition. Let me be more specific about the presidential race. Nigerians should reject any attempt to make them believe that they need further consultations
to make or see some oracles in order to determine whom to elect as their president next year. The only business they have are with aspirants who publicly
present themselves to them for endorsement. Therefore, any person who is opposed to them should similarly do so publicly. I commend Obasanjo, General Muhammadu
Buhari, Abubakar Rimi and Emeka Ojukwu for kick- starting the 2003 elections.
The point one is trying to make is that this is not the time to resort to obfuscating equivocations. This period is so delicate. For me, any Nigerian who is
seen as playing hide and seek with the forth coming transition does not have the interest of the nation at heart. Put differently, eminent Nigerians should
discourage unwarranted speculations about their political interests especially as it concerns the presidency.
There can be nothing sacrosanct about any position. It is either left or right, this way or that way. The simpler we make this transition, the better for all of
us. Which brings me to my brothers of the Igbo folk. From the look of things, we seems to be the most guilty of this double speak as it concerns the
presidential election next year. Some of our top shots have been caught in Abuja pledging support for Obasanjo's re-election. But when they return to Enugu,
Owerri, Awka, Umuahia or what have you and they are confronted by Oha N'Eze, they say the opposite. As far as I am concerned, it is this type of thing that
constitutes the greatest set back to the Igbo Presidency project. It is perhaps needless for me to go into the details of my position on the matter here since I
believe it is well known. But may be just one sentence to refresh our memories. I believe in an Igbo being President but not for 2003. I restate this position
with the highest sense of responsibility and I believe that it goes a long way in minimizing the psychological and mental trauma which many of my kinsmen are
being made to undergo today because of the equivocation or, in fact, insincerity of many other Igbos of my standing.
Let me say categorically, once again that an Igbo CANNOT be president in 2003. I am, personally, not working towards one and I am almost certain that nobody, in
the strict sense of it, is working for one. Those agitating for it are being deceitful.
Personally, I believe in what tomorrow will bring but I have made my position abundantly clear. In at least two previous articles, I asked who was or is the
arrow head of the Igbo Presidency project. I have asked about the aspirants? It is now only about six months to nomination period and yet there is nothing
concrete on ground despite the fact that the talks about it have been going on since 1999. In parts of Igboland and outside, several occasions have been used to
canvass the idea. There is no weekend that passes without a declaration by one group or the other on it-in Abuja, Lagos Maiduguri, Enugu Uyo, Kaduna, Abeokuta
and what have you. When we compare the situation with what happened in Ota (later Abuja) and Katsina in the month of April, we will begin to see the absurdity
into which we have descended as far as this matter is concerned: The 'persuaders' went to Ota on April 1,2002. About three weeks later, April 25 to be precise,
Obasanjo announced his re-election campaign. Buhari in Katsina declared for the 2003 presidential race the same day he joined the All Peoples Party. But for my
people, who have the biggest or, in fact, the most touchy claim to the presidency, we pretend to have been 'consulting' for three years now without results.
While we were waiting or I would say remained undecided, Obasanjo, who is the most important factor in this matter, declared his interest. Someone even
mentioned that Obasanjo or may have tactically been waiting for Ndigbo all this while before he finally came up. It sounds like a joke but is instructive. Perhaps
the best strategy would have been to ensure, through persuasion or intimidation, that Obasanjo did not declare his interest to seek re-election in the first
place.
I insist that my people were not consulting - both within themselves and with others. For me, it sounds gullible to believe that the North wants an Igbo
president next year. Who did they make that commitment to? How many meetings have been held on this? Who attended such meetings? Where was the venue?
Both as a member of Obasanjo's party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and as a Nigerian, my position is that my people, Ndigbo, should go for Obasanjo.
I can say with some certainty that the North will eventually back Obasanjo for a second term. In my own understanding, that is more strategic for them than
going all out to back an Igbo president now. The North I mean is not necessarily Abubakar Rimi or even Buhari, himself. Of course, there are many Northerners in
the "North".
Even with the Rimis, I am quite sure that the North will soon realize that in spite of the bad roads in Onitsha, Owerri, Abakaliki and what have you, in spite
of "Resource Control", it would be very difficult to sell a Northern candidate in the South-East and South - South now. Of course, one need not talk about the
South-West.
As I said in a previous article, Ndigbo should start now to work for 2007. I do not buy the idea that the North will be bent on taking back the presidency in
2007. If they fail in 2003, as I am sure they will, there will be no guarantee that 2007 will be a fait accompli.
It depends on how we go about it.2007 should be the date when Ndigbo will assemble all the arsenals at their disposal to fight for the presidency. There is no
need sounding desperate about projects which prospects dim daily. I get surprised when
the younger generation of Igbo politicians say it is 2003 or NEVER. I ask: what will they be doing after 2003? Nigeria will not end in 2003. The Igbo race is
not going to come to extinction before 2007.
By 2007, the Anyims, the Kalus, the Udenwas, the Nnamanis etc, will still be well under sixty years of age. It is even more amusing to hear that Igbos want just
one term of four years from 2003 to 2007. For God's sake that is too cheap. It amounts to begging for the presidency and which I think must stop. The
constitutions allows every incumbent to aspire for a second term. Why should a people, prema facie, negotiate for just a single term, that is negotiate
themselves out a second term. Even all the talks that Obasanjo had agreed to serve for only one term have now been finally debunked in the light of recent
developments. Where are the people he signed the agreements with? Why have they not challenged him since he made his declaration. My submission is that we will
not be worse off if we don't get the presidency next year. On the other hand, our best option, for now, is to support Obasanjo's re- election. Let me illustrate
further:
We have political leaders and it has been the Igbo tradition to follow their political leaders. Example abound: Zik, Mbadiwe Mbonu Ojike etc. Most recently in
1998, the Igbos followed their governors to vote for Obasanjo. I have no reason to believe that we will not do the same again. Dr. Ekwueme and our five State
Governors led us to Obasanjo. Those same people, less Orji Uzor Kalu, are still around with Obasanjo. They were very visible at the persuasive Ota 'pilgrimage',
and at the April,25 2002 "OBASANJO SPEAKS" All but three of our fifteen Senators were present at the April 25 event. So were all the Igbo House of
Representatives members less only a handful. The majority of our elected representativescannot be wrong. With our Governors, Ministers, Advisers etc, it is
evident that our political leaders have opted for Obansanjo, knowing too well that he will win.
Is Obasanjo anti-Igbo?. Does he hate us as is being propagated by a few? The answer is NO. Of course not. But the truth is that in politics no one gives you
anything for nothing voluntarily. Obasanjo in 1998 made no promises to the majority of Igbos in PDP. He got their votes just for the asking. Dr. Ekwueme, who
was anxious not to be seen as pulling down the party he built, led them to vote for him. There was no pre-condition. But later we then of the APP and top PDP
members of Igbo extraction went to him. Present at that meeting were Obasanjo, Ekwueme, Nwobodo, Arthur Eze and about six other top notchers of the PDP in
South-East. The APP team comprised Chief Emannuel Iwuanyanwu, Mrs Joy Emordi, Chief Gbazuagu O. Gbazuagu, Dr. C.C. Osuala, and a few others with myself. We
negotiated and extracted a few commitments from Obasanjo. You may wish to know that Obasanjo kept his promises. This shows that if you negotiate your democratic
votes, you will be duly rewarded. He kept his electoral promises. Thus, the onus is on us to make him make promises to us. "AGA 'KPAYA-AKPA".
Thereafter, we vote for him en masse. It is not difficult to see why we should and will vote for Obasanjo. We have to take full responsibility for the little
short fall of our expectations in the present dispensation. In any event, we have not done badly in comparison with other zones. The democratic dividends are
evenly spread out. Every zone is crying of marginalization. Who then is marginalizing who? NOBODY. The devil we know is better than the angel we do not. With
Obasanjo, we have already established lines of communication that are now yielding dividends. Let us vote for him and exploit the advantage. This is the realism
of what is on the ground. No other presidential candidate can serve our purpose better. The South-East CAUCUS of our political leaders, elected and appointed,
should embark on negotiation now with Obasanjo. Dr. Alex Ekwueme has got a role to play here and now so that the mistake of 1998 does not re-occur. Let me
state, as a matter of fact, that the Obasanjo/Atitku ticket will win the 2003 presidential election. We should be on board the train in order to partake of the
national cake. There is nothing machiavellian in this, It is pure pragmatic politics. The Igbo nation of thirty three million people "expects", and we must
deliver at all cost by all means and make sure that we get what we expect.
It also needs to be stated that devoid of sympathetic considerations, the scenario of an Igbo President in 2003 is not realizable. The reasons are obvious,
President Olusegun Obasanjo has managed to garner an intimidating international profile. He has a pan - national outlook such that except for the geographical
accident of his birth place being Yoruba, you cannot successfully index his politics and policies as ethnic.
Forget the posturing up North. The people of the area will eventually back Obasanjo, as I have said earlier.
Our people should read between the lines. The North will eventually back him because they will discover that neither their own "Northern candidate" nor the Igbo
candidate will be able to wrest power from a sitting African President who has decided, after due consultations, to seek re-election. Why are we deceiving
ourselves? New parties, New alliances, Yes. But mark the key word: NEW. I don't see the magic a new party or alliance can perform to unseat Obasanjo in an
election that is barely eight months away. We should refuse to be deceived with the planted newspaper stories of the North and their princes being favourably
disposed to an Igbo president. A word is enough for the wise. And my people, Ndigbo, are wise.
May 2002