By Daniel Kanu
Elder statesman, Dr Sylvan Ebigwei, is a renowned dental surgeon.
Ebigwei, who is a former chairman of the Governing Board, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, president general emeritus, Aka-Ikenga, and former vice president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has always been frank in discussing political issues, especially those concerning Nigeria.
In this exclusive chat with Sunday Sun, he looks at the latest political development in the country, the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, saying that it is a poisoned pun.
He also pointed out the mistakes of the Southeast politicians towards 2023 polls while suggesting how to build an enduring country, among other national issues. Excerpt:
How would you assess current political issues as they are developing, particularly now that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket has eluded the Southeast…?
(Cuts in) We are in a country where anything goes, anything is possible here. Politically, expectations are somehow in a bizarre fashion. It will take a determined mind; it takes a good political planner to win an election in Nigeria. Power is never given ala-carte, never! What has played out is that the Southeastern politicians, those in the political arena, are not serious-minded citizens of the Southeast. They are not patriots. Politics is like a Chess game and on the Chessboard, you have puns, puns that you can use, and sacrifice as you want. So, the Southeast politicians are like puns on the political chessboard of great minds of the North and Southwest. These political chess players can be found in the North, you may say that oh, they are not too educated, but when it comes to politics, I think they are grandmasters. My take is that Atiku Abubakar has the greater advantage, the chance to win the presidential election. My take also is that Tinubu and the APC are poisoned puns in the political chess game of the grand masters. If you take the poisoned pun, you lose. So, the political grand masters have donated the APC to the South via Tinubu and for him to win will be like a horse passing through the eye of a needle, it will be very difficult – mark my word. Of course, Peter Obi is there, very strong and he will be there to take the Southeast because Southeasterners are very angry now with their political players. The Southeast people are now feeling heavily betrayed by their politicians and to pay them back Southeast and many other people will vote for Labour Party (LP) as a protest. Coming to the Southwest, they will vote for Tinubu/APC, and going North, both the APC, PDP, whatever you call the party, they will all go for Atiku in the North. Unless you don’t understand the voting pattern in the North, they will always go for their own man irrespective of the party.
But the APC will choose their vice presidential candidate from the North?
The North does not and will not regard the VP position, especially when they know they can grab the president. What is the function of the VP in Nigeria? In Nigeria, the function of the VP is that of window dressing. As I told you the political game masters know what they are doing, they have their eyes on the ball (presidency). We are in a country where if you don’t play it well, you lose and they (North) know how to play it well. If they give you a poisoned pun to swallow when you swallow it you lose. They use money as a poisoned pun, for the Southeast politicians and many South-south politicians, and they took the bait of money, that is poisoned pun, so politically they are losing because those who will now eventually win, they are going to get that money back, a million times. It’s a game, if you don’t play it well you are a loser. You follow a swell of money, you lose. Check out the Northerners, when it comes to their own, politically, they become united, they don’t care about the political party, what they care about is the individual who is there. But we (Southeast), follow money and politics slavishly without thinking about the reparcautions.
How would you react to what Dr Ogbonnaya Onu said at the APC presidential convention ground that he expected other political regions to support the Southeast in their quest for the presidency because they (Southeast) made a huge sacrifice to ensure that both Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Olu Falae, both from the Southwest emerged, so that head or tail, the Southwest would win?
I think Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, may mean well to the Southeast. Of course, he was the one that stepped down to allow Chief Falae to run, but to think the Nigerian politics goes that way, he then must be living on another political planet, not in Nigeria. I expect them to be able to interpret the identity of politics that operates here. Many politicians abhor integrity; you can just find a few of them that have integrity. Our politicians will promise you one thing today tomorrow they are doing a different thing entirely. Ogbonnaya Onu should have known Nigeria better by now. He has been a minister, he has been a governor, he should have seen it all rather than deluding himself. He should have known that power is not given on a platter of gold, you have to fight for it, you have to struggle for it. You can’t sit in your room and expect somebody to make you president of Nigeria without a very strong battle to take it, it’s not done. If you are expecting such to happen, you are living on the moon. There was never a time this issue of zoning has been spelt out in every electoral circle that all zones have not contested for it. In every electoral circle, all zones contest the presidency position. This is not the first time because no matter how you talk about it contestants from different political parties from different zones will disobey the zoning formula, so you must prepare yourself solidly to face the challenge that may come out. Tinubu can make in-roads in the primaries that have just gone, but not in the real election. You will see what the masters of the game (the North) will do. So, as I was saying nobody expects anybody to go and give it to the Southeast. If the Southeast wants presidency they will struggle or should struggle for it. Did they struggle for it? Even the Southeast delegates that voted what was the pattern of their votes? Did they support one of their own? Even Ogbonnaya Onu, how many votes did he get? How many votes did Rochas Okorocha get from the Southeast? It was Ebonyi people that ensured they gave their votes to Governor Umahi and so you can say that Ebonyi showed complete patriotism that showed the Igboness in them. Sometimes you see some people criticising Ebonyi that they are not Igbo, but you can see who is more Igbo now. From the outcome of this election, you can see that patriotism in their Igboness. Okorocha has been shouting how many votes did he garner from Imo State? So all of them voted for Wike and for Atiku, but did they vote for themselves, no? The Southeasterner must know the type of people they elect into power because their politicians betrayed them completely, that is grand deception and grand betrayal. Every day we cry that Nigeria is marginalizing the Southeast, but our people, the politicians are instrumental to this marginalisation with their actions and inactions, they assist in the marginalisation project for their selfish advantage. If you want others to donate the presidency to you in Nigeria, that means you will wait till eternity, you have to work for it. So, those who know what to do, they have done it, you should not blame them. The Northerners will continue to play it and make a fool of others. The contestants, our politicians (Southeast) made a mess of themselves and made Ndigbo laughing stock, made Ohanaeze a laughing stock. I know that there was an understanding among Ohanaeze, Middle Belt (Middle Belt forum, PANDEF), South-South, and Southwest that the presidency should come to the Southeast. And you can hear Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Edwin Clark carrying on the crusade, advising Nigerians to give the Southeast a chance on grounds of equity, justice, and fairness, but you must also do the needed work that follows the talk.
So, what is the way forward, looking at the development so far?
The way forward in terms of politics is very simple, we have been saying it and kept on repeating it. As long as politics remains heavily attractive, as long as our politicians have a lot of money to waste, where they see politics as a goldmine where to go and make money rather than to solve the problem will remain. We must make politics less attractive in terms of emoluments and outrageous benefits etc. The type of money flowing in the political scene is unimaginable, it’s humongous and that is why many kill and maim others to get there. For me, the solution is to make politics less attractive and make it a part-time activity, not a full-time job. All political office holders should be paid stipends and allowances. Once you remove that type of money from the clutches of the political office holders all this nonsense will fizzle out in a jiffy and good people, those you can trust, with the vision for service will pour into the political arena to redress the issue of Nigeria. when I look at most of the politicians that are coming out and some of the presidential candidates, when you match Obi with maybe Turaki (Atiku), Obi can turnaround the downtrodden economy of this country today. Obi has a capacity both nationally and internationally to upgrade the economic index of this country with a good platform. Atiku also has his area of strength like in security, so if we know how to joggle these politicians together Nigeria will move forward. Voting along sentiments is not going to help us, we need to vote in those that can do the job. But there must be need to restructure this country. You cannot put the Southeast at a disadvantage and you expect miracles from them. You cannot give the Southeast five states while others have six, seven and you expect them not to complain. There is need for equity and justice not on paper, but in reality and in practice.
How do you see the chances of Peter Obi now that he has joined the Labour Party?
Of course, he has a chance because a lot will determine and influence the 2023 election. But I think Obi would have had a stronger chance if the APC presidential ticket was in the North. The avalanche of decamping from APC back to PDP is going to start very soon and the North if you understand their politics will want to also rally round Atiku, because they look at the individual not the party. Obi will put up a strong fight, he is competent, you can’t take that away from him, but can he upstage Atiku? That may be very difficult. But in politics it is not impossible.
Predict how Nigeria will be after President Buhari?
I should think that things will be better. My projection is that if Atiku, Obi or even Tinubu wins, their government cannot be worse as we have it today. Things can only be better, that is our prayer.