“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way -Franklin D. Roosevelt
The political space can be more exciting than some sports because while most sports are played within certain times, politics is timeless. The intrigues, the horse-trading, the lobbying, the planning, the betrayals the back-stabbings and camaraderie are endless. Did they not say that in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies but only permanent interests? It can be intriguing staying on the sidelines watching real politics being played out.
The Nigerian democracy in the last twenty three years has been a potpourri and the players like the peacock very often display their decorated plumage. A Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (RTD.) who midwifed Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 celebrates his 80th birthday this month and is alive to push further his peace efforts in Nigeria and across Africa. By next year, the June 12 democracy day honouring the election of late MKO Abiola would be 30 years.
The hope is that before then, Nigeria would have elected its next President and other candidates for both legislative and executive positions. Hopefully, Nigerians would have made the right choices given how far we have come. The incoming President has a lot to worry about in a country that has been fragmented by the hype about regions and religion.
The two biggest political parties, the All progressive Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) like other smaller political parties have chosen their Presidential and Vice- Presidential Candidates in line with the directives of the electoral umpire, the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC).
Even though a lot of intrigues and permutations went on before the choice of candidates, it was interesting to watch the politics around both parties played around Zoning, Regions and Religion. It was interesting to see the doublespeak, the contradictions and the paradoxes playing out in the field. But again, it was interesting to see the protection of interests, the unity in diversity, the ostrich-playing around the issues of religion and region.
The PDP claimed they were throwing the contest open to all zones but it was interesting seeing a governor Tambuwal of Sokoto step down for an Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He did not just step down and leave him in the lurch, he directed his delegates to cast their votes for Atiku. A governor Nyesom Wike was not amused by the action of a Tambuwal as he lost to Atiku. When most people expected a Wike to be chosen as Atiku’s running mate, a governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, a former Senator and one of the organizers in PDP clinched the vice Presidential slot in what the PDP feels would amount to killing two birds with one stone.
The feeling is that an Ifeanyi Okowa is from the South South that has five PDP states, he is by some lineage links an Igboman as his name implies as against a Wike who at every breath distances himself from any link with the South East. So he fits in to supposedly ‘calm’ Ndigbo who have been sulking after losing out on all fronts. The game gets more intriguing and interesting.
The APC primaries presented more drama. The rumours about consensus candidate or an anointed of President Buhari all came crashing down as the Northern governors reached a strategically viable option of zoning the presidency to the South. Former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu clinched the ticket with a landslide victory over even Vice President Yemi Osibanjo (SAN).
In a beautiful display of regional solidarity, former governor Ibikunle Amosun, Ekiti state governor Kayode Fayemi, Senator Boroffice, former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, all stepped down for the APC leader, Senator Tinubu. Others including former governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state, Jigawa state governor, Muhammad Badaru and the only female aspirant in the race, Uju Ohanenye all stepped down for him too.
Then came the battle for the Vice presidential candidate and because the APC candidate is a Muslim, the analysis and counter analysis has been going on about the import of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a 2022 Nigeria that is a far cry from the 1993 Muslim –Muslim ticket of a late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe. The question then is, what has religion and region done to the psyche of the average Nigerian? Does the political climate solve or exacerbate ethnic and religious tensions?
In all these, the South East region feels a sense of déjà vu as they seem to be outsiders in the two political parties. The Roundtable Conversation wanted to find out why the region known for its strength as one of the tripods of the Nigerian state has seemingly lost out for the top positions in the two biggest political parties in the land. Does this align with the cries of marginalization by the Igbos or are they victims of their own political naivety?
We sought the views of Obiora Okonkwo (Ph.D) an academic, entrepreneur and politician who has been in the field and tested the waters. We wanted to find out from him whether the Igbo politicians have really paid their dues in Nigerian politics or are they just crying wolf and waiting for political manna to fall from heaven? Have the Igbos galvanized enough support and worked hard enough? To him, the fate of Ndigbo in national politics is traceable to grave mistakes the people made in the past.
In the past, when the Igbos chose flawed leadership selection processes that neglected capacity, competence, merit and rather went for what in quote is called loyalty that was redefined to mean stupidity absolute in the area of of who should never say no to you or who you can control and manipulate in the political field. That unfortunately became the criteria for those who have the capacity to install leaders and the political class started seeing a class of politicians who see politics as a means of livelihood instead of a platform for service for the people and a race. In the course of doing that, they went for just anybody and today, the chicken seems to have come home to roost and so in the national political field, the boys have not grown to men.
In the days of icons like late Alex Ekwueme or Chuba Okadigbo, their names effortlessly came up when issues of zoning anything to the South came up politically. They were from the South East and achieved greatness before their foray into politics so their rise in the national political consciousness was easy because they had the sagacity and the gravitas to drive national politics and represent the zone while still being good national players. They had the clout and presence but today we have people in the pitch but they have not proven to be good players and so there is no team work like we see in the other zones.
The point has been made and it is time for the South East to re-strategize and plan how to reintegrate themselves into national consciousness. It takes hard work to recalibrate and re-evaluate strategies. To Okonkwo, the South East must learn to sit back and use their position to negotiate more deftly to get the zone to fight for the future. The South East must begin to stamp their political value through strong participation, team work and serious negotiations with others. Globally, politics is not about emotions and sentiments, it is serious work that needs planning and tactically foolproof strategies.
The Roundtable Conversation also spoke to Sam Omatseye, a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst about his evaluation of the cry of political marginalization by the South East. He maintains that politics is about engagement. He feels that some of the political players in the South East have not tried enough to engage other regions. Politics at the national level is about serious handshakes across regions. Somebody like Ogbonnaya Onu who was prominent in the APC, what did he do to bring the people of the region into the party? No region can wait to be served without working hard enough. All the political leadrrs from the region ought to do better at integrating the region to the center rather than lamenting. National political participation that yields positive results is not a tea party. Participants must work very hard to own their space at the dining table. Politics is not about sentiments or whipping up emotions. Politics is played with grit and tact and every zone must learn the ropes and be ready to make sacrifices and play by the rules. The leaders did not do enough work in bringing in the people and so no one uses power as reward if you have not worked to earn it.
Watching the activities at the primaries of the APC and PDP, it was obvious that the best strategists won the game especially in the North versus South political games. It was interesting to watch the grandmasters play their politics and the efforts being rewarded. Political success is not a hundred meter dash, it is a marathon and success at the end is determines by those who can stay the course without tiring out or falling off the tracks.
The Roundtable believes that the South East must learn to play as a team as is evident in other regions instead of the present individual expedient politics of egoistic individuals who forget that they need to plant trees they might not sit under its shades. Political actions for centuries mark out persons and those who achieve greatness and immortalize themselves are those whose sense of service goes beyond self to the larger community and nation.
Political inclusiveness is never achieved my whining or lamenting. People work hard in the political space and get their dues at the right time. Now that the die is cast, the Roundtable Conversation only hopes lessons have been learnt and amends would be made. Change is the only permanent thing in life they say. We wait and watch.
The dialogue continues…