The emergence of former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election has reinforced the belief that the ruling party has not abandoned the power sharing arrangement between the North and the South, even though some members of the party and some concerned Nigerians have canvassed that the presidency should be micro-zoned to the South east, the only region in the South that has not produced the president since our nascent democratic exercise which commenced in 1999.
With the emergence of practically all the parties’ presidential standard bearers, the 2023 presidential contest is a titanic battle between three major presidential contenders, Bola Tinubu of the APC, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, will also do well in the battle royale. The APC presidential primary, which produced Bola Tinubu as the party’s candidate cannot be said to be significantly different from that of its closest rival, the opposition PDP. The allegations of dollar rain up to the tune of $25k or less depending on the war chest of the aspirant, and other means of inducement of the delegates dominated the tales emanating from the colourful event. It also witnessed a high drama of step downs for Tinubu in particular, which was kick-started by Senator Godswill Akpabio, former Akwa Ibom State governor and quickly followed by Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State. Others were Senators Ibukunle Amosun, Ajayi Boroffice, former Speaker House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and the only female aspirant and a lawyer, Mrs. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye. Tinubu’s victory at the primaries can be traced to his deft political strategies, heavy war chest, zoning and that uncommon reenactment of the Tamuwal’s ‘heroic’ melodrama in favour of Asiwaju, the strongman of Lagos politics and by extension that of the South West, while only one aspirant, Nicholas Felix, stepped down for the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
As usual or can I say as was the situation in the PDP special convention, the South East aspirants did not fare well in the exercise which was from the onset schemed against the zone. While Emeka Nwajiuba boycotted the event after buying the expensive N100 million nomination form, Senator Ken Nnamani stepped down not for any aspirant. Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi scored 38 votes, Dr. Ogonnaya Onu and Emeka Nwajiuba got one vote, respectively. Former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Anayo Okorocha and Ikeobasi Muokelu had zero vote, respectively. Like in the PDP presidential primaries, the South East delegates to the APC convention voted for their own interests and no one can begrudge them.
In my last week’s outing, I wrote that the PDP delegates betrayed the Igbo quest for the presidency and voted as dictated by commerce or Igbo sense of mercantilism or individualistic nature of Igbo ethos. Let me modify it further by saying that they didn’t betray anyone. They choose those they like no matter their reasons for doing so. They have that right which they had exercised in line with democratic tenets. The outcomes of both presidential primaries have revealed so many things about Igbo politics. One, there is a seeming disconnect between Igbo politicians and those they represent. Two, Igbo politicians or rather some of them are part of the transactional nature of Nigerian politics. Three, they still see politics as an investment which will bring back hefty returns. Four, Igbo politicians do not consult with the people they govern or represent and do not build the bridges across sect and tongues. These are the major factors militating against Igbo residential aspiration apart from the schemed larger Nigerian politics against Ndigbo generally.
It is not late yet for Igbo politicians to review their politics and make the necessary amends in order to move forward. Going forward, they must redefine their politics to reflect the aspirations of Ndigbo which include a fairly restructured Nigeria where the federating units must be free and equal, the quest for an Igbo to be the president of Nigeria and if the above two fails, Ndigbo should be allowed the freedom to exist on their own. We have witnessed since 1999 that the presidency has rotated between the South West and the North West with only a slight interjection of the South South occasioned by the death in office of President Umaru Yar’Adua. I want a Nigeria where the presidency will rotate among the six geo-political zones of the country. That is the only way a person from the South East can hope of presiding over the affairs of Nigeria one day. The idea of excluding the South East or indeed any other zone from the presidency will have its dire consequences. If not now, it will be in future. Let the politicians not gloat that they can do this things without Ndigbo and go home and sleep well under the heavy weight of grand injustice against the Igbo.
This is exactly what Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu captured at the APC convention, a party he was a founding member when he decried the injustice of denying Ndigbo of the South East the presidency. An embittered Onu recalled sacrificing his presidential ambition in 1999 for Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae from the South West. Onu could not understand why Nigeria has refused to extend the same gesture to the South East in 2023. Senator Ken Nnamani also hinted on the injustice of abandoning zoning, especially when it is the turn of the South East. He warned that the abandonment of zoning will have implication for the federal character principle enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. If we cannot have power rotation in the Constitution, the section dealing with federal character must be deleted forthwith. I say this because it will be hypocritical to have federal character in the constitution and disallow power rotation in politics. Let those amending the constitution see the need to include power rotation among the six zones in the constitution. That is the only way to ensure, justice, equity and continuation of this federal arrangement called Nigeria. The inability of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to emerge as the candidate of the APC has shown that Buhari may not have had a preferred candidate and may not have anointed anyone to succeed him, even though he made such an undemocratic request to the governors. It has further shown that no Nigerian leader is yet prepared to have his deputy succeed him in office. It even happens at the governorship level. It is too bad for our politics as we vote people who will always take time to learn on the job. That is why we have no continuity in governance.
Some of the aspirants at the APC convention used the event to praise Buhari instead of telling the delegates what why they should be elected. And they lost. I am yet to understand those who bought the N100 million form only to come and step down for another person. Is this a new method of political investment? Now that the primaries are over, INEC must demonstrate its independence and ensure a free, fair and credible exercise. Nigerians are watching and members of the global community are equally watching. INEC must not compromise or fail in its duty. The candidates must begin to tell Nigerians what they will do in the next four years if elected and not what they will not do. They must tell us how they are going to achieve them. The candidates must tell Nigerians how to ensure justice and equity in the polity, fight poverty and unemployment and the raging terrorism and frequent attacks on Christians, how to restructure the country among other issues.
I urge every eligible Nigerian to register and get his/her PVC. It is worth reminding the youths that this election will not be conducted on the internet. While carrying out your campaign on the internet, get your permanent voters card and ensure that you vote for your preferred candidate during the polls. That is the only way voters can change the texture and tone of Nigerian politics. Your vote is your only power to determine the future leaders of the country, don’t toy with it.