It was the late revolutionary Marxist Economist and radical scholar, Comrade Eskor Toyo, who established in 1991 at Imo State (now Abia State) University Uturu, during the declining days of the former USSR, that: “If Joseph Stalin made a mistake by introducing communism, Mikhail Gorbachev was equally negative for dismantling it.”

Similarly, if, at all, the South-east geopolitical region made a mistake during the 2015 presidential election by not voting for Gen Muhammadu Buhari; or by casting their votes in one direction – as the wise saying goes, putting one’s eggs in one basket – the current position of South-East All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in addressing the so-called mistake is negative; because their position is beggarly, self-centered, myopic, ridiculous, hasty, betrayal, lacks clear ideological content and political sagacity and, so not in tandem with current political realities as canvassed subsequently.

Ab inito, I must sound this note of warning: that APC South-east leaders should stop blaming and ridiculing the region for not giving Buhari bloc or massive votes. The appropriate time to blame the region is at the end of Buhari’s tenure in 2019. If Buhari excels as a leader, it becomes timely and justified to appropriate blames on the South-East for lacking the foresight to be part of the winning and success team. However, if Buhari fails at the end of his four year-tenure, the South-East will be exonerated, vindicated and exculpated for not being part of the disastrous team that brought woes to the country. Then, the vision and sagacity of the South-east will be celebrated.

It is, therefore, hasty and early to start apportioning blames to the zone for not voting for Buhari en-bloc. The performance of Buhari at the end of his tenure will determine the nature of blame on the South-East. If at all there will be any blame on the South-East at this point, such blame should be heaped on the leaders, who failed to use their sensitive and resource allocation positions during the 16 year PDP tenure to appropriate gigantic projects for the region. We should blame our Senators like Ken Nnamani and Jim Nwobodo who were sabotaging themselves in the upper chambers, and who produced five Senate presidents in eight years, and could not do tangible things for their people, while the North-Eentral zone produced only one Senate president in eight years. We should blame such leaders like Anyim Pius Anyim, who was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for four years, after he had previously served as the Senate president, and does not have much to show to his people for all these lucrative positions. We should equally blame the South-East leaders who hid under the camouflage of the region to enrich their personal pockets at the expense of their people.

The point I am trying to make is that we should realise where and when to apportion blame on the South-East geopolitical zone. After all, what is wrong with opposition status? The South-east had been in the main stream politics for 16 years, but could not utilise the opportunity well. Buhari emerged from excruciating opposition to main position; the same status was applicable to the South-west. At no point did they ridicule themselves because they were in opposition. Opposition is a period of deep reflection for wise political strategies and re-alignment of political forces. It is not a period of committing political gaffes, just like the APC South-east leaders did in Owerri recently.

The Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, recently hosted South-East APC leaders meeting in Owerri. There, the forum decided, among other things, to support PMB for re-election in 2019, and clinch the presidency in 2023. The forum pronounced the former Senate president and new entrant to the party, Ken Nnamani, as the apex leader of the party in the zone. It also revealed that three South-east governors were on their way to the party. Those who attended the meeting had barely reached their various homes when the outcome of the meeting started generating heat and opprobrium.

Not only that the South-East governors distanced themselves from APC, the governors of Imo and Anambra states used gutter language to wash their dirty linens in the public. The Ebonyi State chapter of the party openly and vehemently rejected Ken Nnamani as the apex leader of the party in the zone and, instead, named Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, who had laboured for the party right from day one as the apex leader. The Owerri meeting had continued to generate heated debate, discordant tunes, insults and controversies among Igbo elite.

In comparison, it was the strategic politics played by the South-West that made political gladiators in Nigeria cede power to the region in 1999. After late MKO Abiola’s presidential victory was thwarted in 1993; the South-west almost let hell loose in the country. They were united, vocal, violent, consistent, strategic and tactical in demanding the redress of that injustice.

They formed then National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) as a platform to realise their dream. The group vociferously fought for the realisation, despite dissenting voice from their people like Gen Olusegun Obasanjo (retd). The North got back power in 2015 with terrible propaganda; united political forces; super political strategies and tactics. The G7 made up of mainly northern governors were united in canvassing for the return of power to the north in 2015. The north unleashed serious propaganda and blackmail against former President Goodluck Jonathan and then ruling PDP, after forming the mega party APC. There were indirect (and direct) threats of violence should Nigeria fail to return power to the North in 2015.

I argue that South-East APC leaders’ position is beggarly, because their demand is not strong and it’s not backed by any threat, unlike what was obtainable in South-West and the North, before they got power. You do not beg for power! But, you struggle and negotiate for it. They ignored the marginalisation and humiliation of Ndigbo by the present administration as if the Igbo are no longer Nigerians. They tied the political destiny of a strong nation like Igbo to the personal ambition of an individual, who we are not sure easily forgives others. They threw away Biafran struggle, which is the only reason why national political gladiators are giving credence to the South-East.

They should have strongly negotiated for 2019 first, before finally settling with 2023. The north negotiated for 2011 before they got 2015. This is the secret of diplomacy. The leaders spoke to the air without having anybody in mind, for any response. Their position should have been presented in meetings and documented demands to PMB and APC national chairman, who will study the matter and thereafter respond. They should have bargained with Biafran struggle. Give us power and we shall pacify the Biafran agitators. It is self-centred, and championed by expired and desperate politicians; contractors who need relevance, patronage and presidential tickets respectively. The APC South-East leaders’ position is myopic, because it lacked wide consultation and tilted towards one direction. Otherwise, either Onu or Okorocha should have been named as the South-East APC apex leader. Nnamani is new in the party and need to wait for sometime before such status could be conferred on him. Justice demands that too. Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and the South-East governors, who recently distanced themselves from APC, were not consulted before dropping their names as possible or potential members of the party. The wider spectrum of Igbo political stakeholders – both in Nigeria and abroad – were not consulted before the Owerri meeting, otherwise its outcomes would not have been challenged as such. It was supposed to be an Igbo affair, and not only APC affair.

Their position is also ridiculous because the outcome of the meeting is a subject of public odium and abuses. It was a hasty decision, because it rejected former President Obasanjo’s call for presidency to go the South-east in 2019, for equity, justice, fair play and sense of belonging. They should have trusted Obasanjo because the man had done it before for the South-South, by promoting former president Jonathan’s candidature. Even if they did not adopt Obasanjo’s position, they should have used it as a tool for political bargain and negotiation. As an associate northerner, I felt the feelings of most northerners agreeing with Obasanjo’s position, at least, for the unity of Nigeria. But the hasty Owerri meeting has scattered everything. Many South-Easterners felt betrayed that the meeting threw away Obasanjo’s position. The ideological content of the meeting is not clear. The meeting obviously did not mention Biafra and restructuring, and could not produce a sound roadmap for the Igbo presidency. Put differently, the meeting is suffering from a state of political syncretism or confusion.

The position of the meeting was not sagacious, because it did not take popular decisions that can stand the test of time. Among others, their position was not in line with current realities. They should have used Biafran struggle as a tool for negotiation, assuring political stakeholders that if South-East was fully integrated in mainstream politics, they could use that to pacify the agitators. They should have urged the Federal Government to stop killing armless, harmless and peaceful Biafran demonstrators. With the current hatred against the Igbo in the Nigeria project, Biafra identity – which is a peaceful project, not necessarily for secession – is a strong political and negotiating tool for the region. After all, the South-West unleashed mayhem in Nigeria before they got power in 1999, while there were series of threats of making this country ungovernable before the north got power in 2015.

As it is now, the APC South-East leaders’ meeting is a failure. As a saving grace, the John Nwodo-led Ohanaeze should establish a consultation committee, which will consult locally, nationally and internationally on the political destiny of the South-East people.

•Comrade Okadigbo, a pro-democracy activist and media practitioner, writes from Abuja via innoebirim@gmail.com

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