*Ohanaeze, APC members, others furious
*Anambra APC gives ultimatum, seek massive appointments
*APGA in romance with power that be?
*Time for Ndigbo to know what to do – Analyst
Theo Ray, Onitsha
There is no gainsaying the fact that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria has plunged the people of the Southeast geopolitical zone (Ndigbo) into a socio political whirlpool with glaring neglect and marginalization of zone in the scheme of things in the country. According to the members of the ruling party All Progressive Congress (APC) in Anambra State members of APC in the zone are suffering neglect from national leadership of the party while Ndigbo in general are suffering from glaring marginalisation from Buhari administration. Observers say, the Southeast is facing the worst political neglect and marginalization in the history of the country under Buhari.
An observer and chairman of Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Anambra State, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme puts it this way “neglect or marginalization is a polite word, the right word is humiliation. Ndigbo are facing political humiliation under the administration of President Buhari APC and it is most unfortunate because we don’t deserve it considering the huge contributions of the Igbo man to the development and progress of Nigeria over the years. Since Independence in 1960 Ndigbo are developing all parts of Nigeria building shops, markets, industries, schools, hospitals, hotels, housing estates, petrol filling stations and other things that are growing the economy of the nation and putting food on the table of the masses but when it comes to political decisions they sidelined us, it is very annoying”
According to Ezekwueme, “how do we reconcile the fact that an Igbo man is not in the midst of Service Chiefs in a country where Ndigbo have the largest private assets and investments?. And no presence of the Igbo man at the top positions in the three arms of Government namely the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. What that means is that the Igbo man is conspicuously not around the table where they discuss and take decisions on leadership and governance especially decisions on security of lives and property in his country even as key relevant stakeholder and highest investor, it is a pity”
Analysts say, the truth of the matter is that Buhari and APC is taking the advantage of the colossal failure of the party to win elections in the Southeast to punish Ndigbo on one hand and on the other hand, demonstrating political supremacy in a manner which portrays and expresses the political hatred of Ndigbo by Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba tribes in the country. A current affairs analyst and right activist Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi dismissed the above reasons behind the marginalisation of Ndigbo as unfounded because those reasons do are contrary to the federal character which Nigerians as people of a country believe in.
Umeagbalasi who is the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of Intersociety, argued that the neglect and marginalisation of Ndigbo contradicts not just the federal character which Nigeria believe and profess as a country but also the legal obligation of President Muhammadu Buhari who swore an oath to render service of good governance to all Nigerians regardless of their tribe, religion and political party affiliation. The right activist noted “Whichever you look at it, the idea of relegating Ndigbo to the back seat or to the bench is unfounded because you cannot to take a contrary position to your oath of office to sideline people who had offered so much for their country and who are ever ready to serve their country because they did not vote for you in election, it is not done anywhere in the world”
Going by the way things are going under the present administration it looks like Buhari and APC have taken the stand to do without the Igbo. But Ndigbo are not taking it lightly this time. The President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Chief Nnia is furiously confronting Buhari and APC and he has the full backing of Ndigbo. Notable Igbo groups and individuals such as first Republic Minister of Aviation Chief Mbazuluike Amechi, former Governor of Anambra Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), World Igbo Congress (WIC) and Igbo Ekunie Initiative among others are in tandem with Ohaneze following the poor status of Ndigbo in Nigeria under the present administration. The situation has also heightened the spirit of Igbo separatist groups such as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra on the struggle for restoration of Biafra.
In view of Chief Mbazuluike Amechi alias the Boy is Good, “the present administration is treating the Southeast badly but I am not surprised about that because many people, many Nigerians, particularly, people from the Northern part of the country, since after the Nigerian-Biafra civil war have been seeing Igbo land as a conquered colony or territory, while the Igbo people are seen as conquered people. They have never recognized Igbo land and people as equal partners in the Nigerian question and that is what this administration is showing. The handwriting is clearly on the wall” .
On his part, former Governor Ezeife corroborated Umegbalasi and accused Buhari of violating the constitution which he swore to protect by virtue of marginalising Ndigbo. “First, he swore the oath to protect and defend the constitution, he is not defending the constitution, he is not offering any job to people from the Southeast. That is called denial, he is corrupting the constitution through the appointments. He is corrupting the policy he rolled out in many ways. One of these is unfairness in the distribution of jobs. As I am talking to you now, people sit in national security council of Nigeria, the Igbo are described as one of the third legs of the tripod in Nigeria, not one Igbo is in the national security council.
Furious about the neglect of Ndigbo, Ezeife warned that Ndigbo will leave Nigeria if the Southeast is not given chance to produce the President in 2023 as a clear means of addressing Igbo agitations. When asked to react on the position of Ndigbo in 2023 he said “t is easy to pontificate. There will be no Igbo citizenship of Nigeria if in 2023, if the South East is not given serious chance to produce the President of this country. After being given a serious chance and we could not make it, that could be understood but if anybody begins to say that there is no chance in 2023, that will be very dangerous”.
On their own part, ADF is of the position that there are two option left for Nigeria in addressing the issue of Igbo neglect and marginalisation. According to ADF President Professor Uzodinmma Nwala, it is either the Federal Government of Nigeria grants the Southeast geopolitical zone the status of autonomous region or we move out of Nigeria to establish the Republic of Biafra or Republic of Alaigbo. “This is the position of ADF: grant us Regional autonomy or let’s go away to establish our own republic. We cannot continue to be part of Nigeria while being treated like second class citizens” Nwala maintained
Also showing their anger over unfavourable position of Ndigbo in Nigeria, WIC declared that the citizenship of the people of the Southeast cannot be continued to suffer neglect and marginalisation. Chairman of WIC Professor Anthony Ejiofor said “If we must preserve Nigeria, then let us preserve Nigeria. If we can no longer preserve Nigeria on the common basis of shared and secure citizenship, then let us commence the process of dismantling it for the preservation of the peace and security of its affiliate peoples. This is a federal republic in which Ndigbo command a large population and huge investments”
On their part members of APC in Anambra State gave the National leadership of APC an ultimatum of one year to address the neglect of the party in the Southeast or forget the party in the region as they are ready to desert it completely. The ultimatum was the major highlight of a meeting of APC with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka the Anambra State Capital last weekend. It was a hectic moment controlling the visible anger that members of APC displayed at the meeting tagged “interactive Roundtable with Vice President Yemi Osibanjo”
The first salvo was thrown by a former member of the Federal House of Representatives from Ihiala who was sharp and direct saying that“our members are hungry, angry and ashamed at the way we are being treated as members of APC. This is the first time since I joined politics in 1979 that members of the ruling party would be so and neglected and relegated”.According to him, “party democracy is never run by gangs, cliques or cabals.” He was consequently carried shoulder high as the audience went into an uncontrollable applause, for apparently speaking the minds of all. Dike further pointed out that APC is at the Centre but members in the State are all in pains, suffering bitterly and gnashing teeth. He added “It’s like the members, especially in the State are being deceived, as there were no jobs, no appointments or any way of carrying the people along.
Corroborating Dike, Hon. Olisa Onyeka, who is the Southeast youth leader of APC gave the visiting Vice President over dose demand requesting for more number of appointments at the mainstream of government, delivery of federal presence in terms roads education and health infrastructures and four hundred (400) board appointment slots for the State as means of adding strength to the party. In his views, Anambra has only 326 electoral wards and if each Ward gets one slot, it would go a long way to buoy the electoral fortunes of the party in the State immensely and even win the governorship in next poll. He said that presently the party has by the way and manner it is being administered been rendered a regional northern party.
The Southeast youth leader added “The way the party and the federal government affairs are being run has rendered APC a regional party. We have been so sidelined in the scheme of things that it is really in doubt whether any of the leaders is thinking of how to shore up the party in the State and in the zone. The situation is ugly. We give the APC leadership a one year ultimatum to change and improve on the welfare of her members in the State or there would be no more APC in the state. Our great party prides itself on “Next Level”, it’s “Last Level” in Anambra State.
Going further a former Deputy Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mike Ugwa wondered why even key policies and programs of APC including Trader Moni, Schools Feeding and other programmes were handed over to opposition parties. He said it has brought a lot of shame and disdain to members of the party. A former member of the State House Assembly(Awka North) Mrs Rebecca Udorji cried out bitterly just like others that the Speaker of the House of Representstives, Femi Gbajabiamila just handed over an appointment to a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) -Chief Anayo Nnebe instead of a member of APC. She sent a bitter message to the Speaker on why the party is not attempting in anyway to carry APC members in the State along.
The leader of the party in the State and former Governor Chris Ngige and State Chairman Hon. Basil Ejidike along with major stakeholders of the party like Chief George Muoghalu, Senator Andy Uba, Hon Tony Nwoye and Johnbosco Onunkwo pleaded with Vice President Osinbajo to take the message to the Presidency and to the National leadership for immediate action. Hon Ejidike in his address told Osinbajo that the people are ready to work and move the party to the next level in Anambra if they are motivated adding that with what is going on in terms of infrastructure like the completion of Zik Mesueleum, on going second Niger Bridge project, on going reconstruction of Enugu Onitsha Expressway at Umunaya and conceding of two Ministerial positions to Anambra State Ndi Anambra are ready to accept APC if they are motivated.
Former Governor Chris Ngige, a former minister and minister nominee thanked the people for coming to receive the Vice President telling the visitor that even though they are angry they still believe in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Ngige said “I want to assure the Vice President that we believe in what President Buhari is doing to take the country to the next level and that is why we all left our various businesses to be here to discuss the future of our great party in Anambra State. We strongly believe that the future is bright for us under this administration and that is why we are showing interest in moving out great party forward. I want to assure all of you here that the situation is going to be much better very soon”
Speaking on the meeting Muoghalu said that APC is packaging a new political order which Ndi Anambra is yearning for pointing out that the massive participation of the people at the meeting is a clear indication that the people of the Light of the Nation State is eager for a change and to identify with the bandwagon of the next level at the national level. He said, “the message we have here is clear, the people are ready to work for APC because they need change at the government house and what they have demonstrated today could likened to the popular Biblical message, here I am send me. So we are telling the Vice President to tell the party that here we are in Anambra send us with the necessary materials to deliver the State to the party”
In response, the visiting Vice President who took time to listen to the host audience promised to deliver the message to the appropriate quarters adding that he appreciate their effort in showing interest for the development and progress of APC in Anambra in particular and Southeast zone in general. He however noted that the Presidency has began to address the issue of the Southeast by conceding two ministerial appointments to Anambra assuring that the State and others in the Southeast will benefit from the next batch of programs like trader moni, school feed and N power among others.
It is however of note that while Ohaneze, APC members and others are agitating against the neglect and marginalisation of Ndigbo, the leadership of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) is apparently in romantic terms with Buhari and APC. This is stemmed from the fact that the leadership of APGA which is christened the Igbo party because of its strong tie with Ndigbo is singing praises to Buhari and APC against the interest of Ndigbo . Analysts argue that APGA might be going for the crumbs from the table or Igbo or something higher and favourable.
A current affairs analyst, Dr Ejikeme Nwangwu stressed that the APGA and Buhari/APC romance cannot be taking for granted because it is working out. Dr Nwangwu noted “it was the romance that helped Governor Willie Obiano to win election for the second tenure and Obiano against all odds supported Buhari for reelection for second tenure and it worked for him, so who knows what would happen next, so the romance cannot be ignored, it might end up with Igbo President of APC or Vice President, I don’t think that APGA would just go for the crumbs from the table.”
In his own words, a frontline grassroots politician in Anambra State and Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Hon Zeribe Ezeanuna posited that it is time for Ndigbo to actually know what to do in concrete terms in facing the challenges of neglect and marginalisation of Southeast zone in the country noting that divergent views and opinions on the way forward may not work out the solution. Ezeanuna is of the opinion that Igbo leaders mostly the governors have to work hard to inspire and motivate good leadership that will galvanise the people into a clear political direction.
“For me what we need as Ndigbo is a leadership that can inspire our people into massive participation in politics of a clear direction. Our people mostly the youth and the traders who are the most populated in the system are skeptic about politics owing to the failure of the leaders to provide inspiring and motivating leadership, that is why they are agitating for Biafra. They believe that Biafra can give them a better leadership and you can’t blame because we don’t have good leadership like the one rendered by former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, so the governors have to sit up and work hard to give us inspiring and motivating leadership that will galvanise the people into a clear political direction. Once this is done our problem will be solved” Ezeanuna argued.
