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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ahamefule: Time for Ndigbo to embrace opposition politics – By Emma Agu

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For far too long, the conventional wisdom in Igboland has abhorred playing opposition politics. The argument is that belonging to the centre, or what is usually dubbed ‘mainstream politics’ guaranteed a better place for the Igbo race in the scheme of things. Thus, in the First Republic, the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon, NCNC formed an alliance with the majority Northern Peoples’ Congress, NPC so that the Igbo would belong to the center. Ditto for the Second Republic; the Nigeria Peoples’ Party, NPP went into an alliance with the National Party of Nigeria, NPN to give the Igbo a handle on mainstream.
In the wake of the Fourth Republic, once the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, won, prominent Igbo political leaders jumped ship from the All Peoples’ Party, APP, again, to get the Igbo a place in the mainstream. Thus, prior to the 2015 presidential elections, four out of the five Igbo speaking states of the south east geo-political zone all belonged to the PDP, the mainstream! But with the routing of the PDP at the presidential and governorship elections, talks of realigning, to join the mainstream, have again taken centre-stage. In fact, notable politicians have already started migrating to the victorious All Progressives Congress, APC. The main reason adduced for this movement is, ostensibly, the desire to protect the interest of the Igbo ethnic nationality.
A fall-out of this is the entreaty to the electorate in Imo State, to install an APC-led government in Owerri. Nothing can be more dishonest than that. The people of Imo State have nothing special to gain by playing inconsequential roles in the APC, a party that was formed to the exclusion of majority of their political leaders. Nor would Buhari accord Imo State any preferred status in revenue allocation. On the contrary, there will be a net outflow of resources from Imo State as contract and rent seeking APC stalwarts from all over Nigeria would descend on the state for contracts and other welfare considerations. Therefore, commonsense dictates that Imo State should stick with the PDP which has been reduced to an opposition party. This is without prejudice to some illustrious Igbo sons such as Chris Ngige, Ogbonnaya Onu and the dynamic Osita Izunaso (Kpakpando) who, as foundation leaders of the party, deserve key roles in Buhari’s government.
My thesis in this piece is that the Igbo should, for once, jettison the ‘mainstream’ option and go for opposition which is the only logical inference that can be drawn from the outcome of the 2015 polls. I resist the temptation to suggest that advocates of the mainstream argument are self-serving. To begin with, I am surprised that anybody should be bemoaning the speculated sharing formula for political positions at the federal level. Why do our political leaders want to deceive the Igbo into believing that the reward for losing is compensation with any strategic position?  At any rate, when did political exclusion become a death sentence? Didn’t the subsisting political arrangement between 2011 and 2015 exclude the Yoruba of the south west geopolitical zone from any of the prime political positions in the country? And what was their response? They went into their political laboratory and came up with the anti-dote: align with the north, produce a cult figure as presidential candidate and share in the spoils of the political victory.
To my fellow Igbo compatriots, we should see the 2015 election as a blessing in disguise; a clarion call to honest self-searching. Consider, for instance, these posers: Why should the region that, by World Bank accounts, was the fastest growing economy by 1967, now lag so behind that its indigenes now scrounge for meals in subservient conditions in other parts of Nigeria? Why must the region that produced scientists who, without external support, were able to develop a war machine that held the near genocidal federal forces at bay for all of 30 long months now live beggarly in a country where, until Jonathan came, successive regimes were incapable of breaking the power sector cabal and launch the country on the difficult yet assured road to efficient power supply? Why should a region that, for many years, post-civil war, set an astonishing pace in education and sports now descend to the nadir of illiteracy?
When people talk about mainstream politics, they either forget or ignore the fact that in the second republic, the mainstream NPN states never compared favourably with the People’s Redemption Party, PRP, NPP and Unity Party of Nigeria, NPN states on any human development index. We are talking about the glorious years of the Sam Mbakwe Administration in Imo State, Abubakar Rimi in Kano State and Lateef Jakande in Lagos State. So what nonsense are we postulating by deluding ourselves with a dubious mainstream mentality?
What the moment calls for is not emotional ranting or hasty realignment based on the fear of exclusion. To every Igbo, this is the reality: exclusion is here with us, no more, no less! What do we do? Adopt a policy of withdrawal from the mainstream; suffer exclusion; plan for the future. That future, I dare say, is strictly in our hands. We should begin by insisting that no state in the southeast should be controlled by the APC. Izu ka nma nneji…you see what I mean? For a better appreciation of this point, consider the ease with which the Yoruba were able to articulate and advance their socio-economic and political interests under the platform of first, the Alliance for Democracy, AD, and later the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN all the while in opposition to the almighty PDP-controlled Federal Government. And see how they quickly shook off the PDP aberration into which they had been hoodwinked, in 2003, under the pretext of consolidating OBJ’s administration.
The Igbo have a lot to learn from the politics of Nigeria. This has become urgent, now that the victorious federal arrangement that defeated Biafra has now metamorphosed into a victorious political arrangement. The only difference, this time around, is that our brothers from the south-south, who had deluded themselves with the existence of a natural ally, have been left in the lurch. But unknown to them, that is where they have always belonged. This is a matter for another conversation. But for now, we must insist, that the grace era for political gamble in the former eastern region has ended. The land of the Orient must wear a new look: a new reality dawns on the region; to return to the days of Michael Okpara, Imoke, N.U. Akpan or be consigned to the boys’ quarters of Nigerian politics forever, oil or no oil.
To advance this thesis, the likes of Dr. Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers State, can be trusted to play a leadership role. Though an uncompromising Nigerian nationalist, Odili had, long ago, exhibited the requisite credentials to spear-head a regional renaissance. His role in President Jonathan’s re-election bid and the election of Nyesom Wike as Governor of Rivers State all show that he retains the spark to lead this campaign. In proposing him, one is also mindful of the fact that you need a leader who can be trusted other parts of Nigeria. Thankfully, there are already existing platforms to progress this dream, most notably, the association of south-south and south-east professionals led by the dynamic Emeka Ugwo-Ojo.
For now, as we prayerfully await the consummation of the election of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State to consolidate the opposition platform being canvassed, let the Igbo, as a brilliant and industrious race always remember that the challenge before us is that of AHAMEFULE.

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