2007: A president of Igbo extraction not feasible

KWENU! Our culture, our future

Dallas, Texas

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer” –

Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

Zora Neal Hurston also wrote in Moses, Man of the Mountain in 1939: “The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.”

Interestingly, the above quotes aptly captured the underlying precipitous chain of events that have made the Igbo presidency not feasible in 2007. The obvious pockets of disarrayed ambitions marinated in lye of selfishness dampened the vigor for the agitation. Equally, the lackluster plan, lack of political structure, and the emergence of non-Igbo as a presidential candidate in any of the major political parties fated the aspiration. In addition, the silent harping of elect-ability factor echoing in the corridors of political power doomed the cause for this political cycle.

Well, though Nigeria has not had a president of Igbo descent since after the civil war, the tribe had produced the vice president of the country during the Shagari era. What did the Igbo benefit from the vice presidency position? Contrasting the Shagari period with President Obasanjo’s era, the Igbo have made major political strides; the tribe has benefited tremendously in Obasanjo’s administration. The Igbo can boast of fleet of ministers and director generals. Many people of Igbo ethnic extraction are in vital and protocol positions in Obasanjo’s administration. These individuals could add value to the lives of people from their constituency. Additionally, Southeast LGA chairmen and state governors could have added more value to the lives of the citizens of their respective local government areas and states if the allocated funds were utilized wisely. Will it take Igbo presidency to change the behavior of corrupt individuals? Obviously, no!

Justifiably, I was an avid advocate for Igbo presidency not based on compensation or emotions, but based on merit. I have now reflected on my position and the dynamics of political reality on the ground and come to a conclusion that PDP is the surest avenue for quality people to become president of Nigeria. If Governor Yar’Adua with little or no wealth, unlike other governors that looted the treasury of their respective states, could emerge as the flag bearer of a major party, any quality leader without reproach has a chance of clinching the PDP presidential ticket in the future and subsequently becoming the president of Nigeria. My support for PDP and Yar’Adua/Goodluck ticket is not driven by venal tendencies rather it is driven by conviction and my ideological underpinnings. Ubiquitously, it's critically held that wisdom is the knowledge of what path to follow next in the face of uncertainty and integrity, supposedly, is taking it—the path some people may consider unpopular. It is my belief that party’s constructive ideology overshadows ethnic sentiments. There is now a groundswell of Nigerians sharing my views.

For instance, Prof. Soronnadi Nnaji opined, “If one belongs to a political party and subscribes to the ideology of the party, one is bound to tow the ideology of the party.” Similarly, Jonathan Obiagwu, a registered pharmacist, who is leaving for Nigeria this week to work to elect Gov. Yar’Adua and Engr. Charles Ugwu as president of Nigeria and the governor of Imo State respectively, echoed Prof. Nnaji’s supposition. He added, “Igbo presidency is not a reachable goal in this cycle. As a result, we cannot alienate ourselves because of that failure. We must remain in the mainstream and not abandon PDP since it is a viable vehicle to achieve our collective goal.”

Undoubtedly, emotions and sentiments have never been a preamble for great things. There is a tendency for people devoid of capacity and vision, and sometimes inadequately prepared to expend personal sacrifices, to vilify those with foresight anchored on reason and pragmatism. We cannot preach democracy and at the same time seem intolerant of contrary views.

A Nigerian president of Igbo extraction will not be feasible in 2007. Igbo votes alone cannot elect anyone president. Better still, Southern votes alone would not elect a Southerner president of Nigeria. Similarly, a Northerner would not win the presidency of Nigeria with only southern votes. In that light, I submit to all that lamentations, sentimentalism, philosophizing, long grammar, and eloquent logic would not help the matter.

Rather, it is time we spurned the clamor for Igbo Presidency shrouded in personal ambition and selfish instincts. In its place we wouldl collectively build a lasting fort that would enable the masses to enjoy the dividends of democracy as we continuously strengthen the democratic structures. Fully democratized Nigeria devoid of corruption should be the goal of every Nigerian.

Most importantly, pragmatism, political capital, quality leadership, and goodwill would pave the way for anyone from the minority group to be president of Nigeria. Though the above variables constitute a necessary condition, yet the sufficient condition continues to be relevancy in the Nigeria’s socio-political mainstream. It is therefore imperative that the Igbo continue to remain in the mainstream of Nigerian body polity to be relevant now and in the future.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is the tapestry of the Nigerian mainstream politics. PDP is mosaic of our political culture; it has the structure and capacity to elevate Nigeria and its masses to new heights. It is the vehicle to achieve Nigerian presidency of any ethnic extraction. It’s a vehicle for the Igbo regardless of its imperfections.

PDP is the only viable vehicle that will turn our collective mourning into dancing and our collective sorrow into joy as long as we do not abandon the party. However, the fulfillment of the past promises—dualization of roads, new River Niger bridge, dredging of Oguta Lake and River Niger, and so on—would make the above assertion more believable.