From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Elder statesman and industrialist, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has consistently advocated for democratic reforms and good governance in the country. In this interview, Dr. Obidigbo, who is also the Founder of Osisioma Foundation and a former governorship aspirant in Anambra State, shares his perspectives on Nigeria’s democratic journey, the need for citizens to exercise their rights, and other pertinent issues facing the nation.
After 26 years of uninterrupted civilian government in Nigeria, how do you assess our democratic journey and practices?
Nigeria has not understood the meaning of democracy, let alone practiced it. Only the Igbos have practiced democracy in the real sense. The Igbo believe that power must not be concentrated in the hands of one man to the exclusion of others. We practice democracy in Igboland because the people who actually ruled communities in olden days were the elders and it was consensus-based, which Nigeria as a country is not familiar with at all. The monarchical system they were accustomed to is what we practice today, which we erroneously misinterpret as democracy. In the true sense, democracy has never existed or been practiced in Nigeria.
Take the Southeast, for example: Can you say that elections there have been democratic? Do those in leadership positions represent the interests of the people who ‘elected’ them? The answer is no. They are usually handpicked to represent the interests of mainly outsiders. We have three arms of government; the executive, legislature, and judiciary but the executive controls everything. They control parliament and the judiciary because they fund them, so the other arms have no independent voice. The executive’s interests prevail most times, which is not democracy at all. As long as we continue this way, this country cannot see true progress because democracy requires equity, fairness, and justice, which are lacking in our polity.
It seems we’re sliding into a one-party system, with everyone moving to APC. What does this mean for our democracy?
In a genuine democratic setting, if someone wins an election through a particular party, they don’t have the right to leave for another except they return to get the people’s mandate. But here, nobody cares when this happens. It’s shameful and painful.
The worst part is that those in positions to make decisions that improve people’s lives are totally uninterested. Most elected officials didn’t go there to protect the people’s interests but for their personal agenda. They feel no shame jumping from the platform on which they were elected to another party, probably because they’ve been promised something for themselves, not for the people.
The electorate’s power has been rendered impotent in Nigeria. How can a governorship election be conducted, someone declared winner, and then the court nullifies it and gives the mandate to someone who came fourth? This has never been heard of anywhere else in the world, that four or five people can make a decision contrary to the will of millions who voted. Look at what happened in Rivers State. Our descent into a one-party system doesn’t augur well for our democracy because it’s a slide toward totalitarianism.
Who do you blame for this situation? The people, judiciary, or the politicians?
Those elected into authority are not superior to those who elected them and that’s the principle of democracy: government of the people, by the people. The people own and create it; the power belongs to them. But we seem too shy because of our colonial mentality to understand that this is wrong, and when something is against you, you fight it. But in Nigeria, who is ready to fight injustice?
The judiciary bears blame, as do those in elective positions, but the masses are most at fault because we’re being shortchanged daily and doing nothing about it. Only in Nigeria can you find this mess, and everybody goes home and sleeps as if nothing happened. That’s the colonial mentality we were raised with. We were taught never to fight against government, never to protest. But in civilized societies, it’s your right to say “this is not right, enough is enough.”
Until we open our eyes as a people to know that we don’t have to accept everything dumped on us, the better for us. The judiciary, how many are they? Four or five people, maximum seven, can decide a whole state’s fate against millions of people’s will. Where’s the democracy in that? We need to educate people that their rights are being trampled by a tiny minority because this is the mentality left by colonialists; the principle of divide and rule, not knowing when to exercise your rights and privileges.
President Tinubu recently visited Anambra State, but Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention wasn’t addressed. What are your thoughts?
I’ve personally written to the President about this matter several times. It’s most unfortunate. What did Mazi Nnamdi Kanu do that was undemocratic and illegal? He’s agitating for his people’s freedom through a referendum. There’s no place in the world where this would be judged as a crime. Has he declared war against the government?
When we expect Southeast leaders to speak about his unjustifiable detention, we’re wasting our time because they won’t. They know this young man understands what Igbos are passing through, and knows how to champion their cause selflessly. When Tinubu came to Anambra, it was a golden opportunity to put in a word for his release, but they didn’t. If he were from another part of the country, government would have freed him long ago.
What’s your foundation’s position on the upcoming Anambra election?
At Osisioma Foundation, we practice core democracy. When we want to do something, we meet, discuss, and take resolutions. The political situation in Anambra is still unclear, but we’ve set up a committee to advise us.
What we’ve decided is to maintain the zoning arrangement in Anambra State. Osisioma Foundation played a crucial role in forming that arrangement. I took it upon myself personally because there’s inequality in the system. The North, South, and Central zones aren’t equally gifted in human capacity, finances, and population. The only way to maintain equity and harmony is through zoning.
We fought for it and still maintain that it’s the South’s turn to complete their eight-year tenure. If it favors Soludo to do another four years, so be it. If not, whoever comes in will do four years to complete the South’s tenure. We haven’t decided whom to support yet, but the competition will likely be between Soludo and Ukachukwu.