The Southeast will need to sit down with the APC leadership and the President, especially, to discuss and agree on a better understanding for the zone, if the Southeast gives their support to the APC. We cannot pretend about the reality that the Southeast has not been accommodated well in the APC administration, since 2015
By Onwuasoanya FCC Jones
Someone recently observed that 2026 seems to have been erased from the calendar of many Nigerian politicians, as they all appear to have directed all their efforts and attention to the next election year, rather than talking about the next meal for the ordinary Nigerian. Many of them are unaffected by the series of attacks across the length and breadth of the country, where, if data from independent and government sources is anything to go by, Nigeria might be competing with Ukraine, Gaza, South Sudan, Eritrea and other war-torn countries on the number of casualties and destructions recorded in the past few years.
The President is obviously doing his best, and I can say that he is desirous of giving Nigerians better lives than they are currently enjoying, but it is either his ideas have fallen short or the rot he inherited is so critical that it would require more than just a desire to give the right healing, or at least, palliative. The opposition hasn’t provided much hope. They seem more clueless about their most fundamental duty of discomforting our Party than any other opposition since Nigeria’s fourth republic. Having failed to put my Party in check, they have focused all their energy in campaigning for 2027, even though, they don’t seem to be good at that, too.
Because of my current political affiliation, I will not delve too deeply into certain conversations, because I will not be as dispassionate as I should be. One of the things I believe my political affiliation does not rob me of, is my identity as an Igbo man and my responsibility to work for its survival and betterment, even before that of my political Party or my country. Therefore, I am compelled to interrogate the ongoing power games regarding the 2027 election, viz a viz, how it affects and might benefit the Igbos, especially, of the Southeast.
Before 2015, the Southeast was an indispensable part of the Nigerian power tripod, whereby, in forming the federal government, the Igbo of the Southeast would either produce the President, Vice-president or Senate President. The worst case we have had before 2015 was when the Southeast could not produce either of the three, but we’re compensated with positions like; SGF, Deputy President of the Senate, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and various other “juicy” cabinet positions. Since 2015, the Southeast has been treated like an insignificant minority, with the most serious positions we have had being the Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum and recently, the Deputy Speaker of the House.
In politics, nobody gives you your due because they love you, they would only give you your due because you insist on it and you make them understand that you can cause some real problems if you do not get your due. Southeast had such politicians, but not in many numbers anymore. Nigeria is a place where power is negotiated on the basis of tribe and religion and politician who thinks that he can get power by kowtowing to those who have deliberately marginalised his people might be making a very terrible mistake.
In 1999, the Yorubas were compensated with the presidency against the Igbos of the Southeast, because the Yorubas had consistently kept the June 12 struggle virile. In 2007, the North forced Obasanjo’s hands to hand over power to them, even though he seemed to have wanted to either succeed himself or hand over to another Southern candidate. In 2015, the North got power, not because they were loved so much by the Yorubas of the Southwest who obviously aligned with them but because the North had a candidate in Buhari who had shown, over and over, that he maintained a solid support base, of mostly Northern Talakawas who could set the nation ablaze if their votes did not count. Tinubu, as the leader of the opposition found it easier to throw his bet into the Buhari basket because he knew it was his most viable path to the presidency. It wasn’t because he believed in Buhari’s politics or governance strategies.
The Southeast should therefore understand that at no time in Nigeria’s recent history has power been conceded on the basis of national interest or competence of the candidates in contention. It is therefore important that we begin to look at what is most beneficial and most viable to us as a people, if we do not want to continue to play the insignificant fiddle, which is where we have been consigned since 2015.
We had made mistakes in the past that put us where we are, 2027 might be the best time to start correcting some of our most grievous political miscalculations and restore our place as the indispensable third leg in Nigeria’s power setup.
First, we must understand that there are only two political groups with a viable chance to power in 2027; the APC and, if the coalition leaders are able to put their differences and personal ambitions behind and team up under one political Party. I will assume that this will happen and make my recommendations on Southeast’s best path to political restoration with the assumption that the coalition will work.
THE COALITION: The Southeast should only align with this coalition of they are going to present a Southeasterner, especially, Peter Obi as its presidential candidate. Anything outside the chance of producing the next President of Nigeria should motivate Southeast to mobilise both financial and political resources into supporting this coalition. I am confident that with a Southeast presidential candidate and strong support from the North and the millions of disenchanted Nigerians who do not care about tribe or regions, a united coalition can give my Party, the APC, a run for our money.
In the absence of a united coalition, where Peter Obi runs for President on his own, while Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi and others run their separate ways, the Southeast might end up having the most popular presidential candidate without having the peculiar requirements of Nigerian political environment to push through this candidate.
Peter Obi is unarguably the only candidate whom we can truly describe as a non-tribal candidate, but Nigeria’s political culture of corruption, intimidation and stealing might make it impossible for him to make any good impact without the support of renowned system players like; Atiku, El-Rufai, Amaechi and others.
THE APC OPTION: In the absence of a united opposition coalition, it would be more realistic for the Southeast to negotiate with the ruling APC and throw in their full support to the Party.
The Southeast will need to sit down with the APC leadership and the President, especially, to discuss and agree on a better understanding for the zone, if the Southeast gives their support to the APC. We cannot pretend about the reality that the Southeast has not been accommodated well in the APC administration, since 2015.
In the absence of a good understanding been reached with the APC for better accommodation within the APC administration, including, economic policies that are favourable to our businessmen and women, then, the Southeast might opt for the third option.
THE SPOILERS/LONE RANGER GAME: From 1999, Tinubu mobilised the Yorubas of the Southwest to play opposition without minding the political inconvenience it caused them. He rebuilt the Alliance for Democracy (AD) from controlling just one State and a few legislative seats to leading a national opposition coalition and subsequently, a ruling Party.
This route of playing the Spoiler or Lone Ranger game will be long and very torturous, but if we have a strong leadership we would be better off with it than going hat in hand to beg for accommodation from a Party that does not trust us.
If a united coalition does not concede the 2027 presidential ticket to us and the APC refuses to improve our stake in the power sharing game, then, we would be better off aligning with any viable Igbo presidential candidate, no matter his political Party, and make a strong statement with our bulk votes for that candidate and other candidates running on the same Party with him. With that, we may be able to exert better influence in the national government than the current situation where we are treated with disrespect.
•Onwuasoanya FCC Jones is a former Acting National Leader and former substantive Deputy National Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing. He writes from Abuja.
•Opinions, positions or thoughts expressed here are personal and strictly of the writer/author and do not represent the views of The Daily Crucible.
