By Henry Omoreigbe
Ahead of 2023 presidency, one thing that is very clear is the unanimity of opinions by majority of Nigerians across the divide that in the interest of fairness and equity Southeast zone should be supported and encouraged to produce the next president of the country. The rest of Nigerians have since realised that what is good for the goose is also good for the ganders. This is considering the fact that out of the six geo-political zones in the country, it is only the Southeast and Northcentral that have not produced elected President since the return of democratic governance in 1999.
This is why the clamour for Nigerian president of Southeast extraction has been consistently and repeatedly echoed and re-echoed in the media and public fora from the East, North to the West. Many believe that doing so will help quell the agitations in Southeast region and promote true sense of national healing and unity. It will also give the people of Southeast region that have felt marginalized and alienated after the Nigerian civil war sense of belonging and assurance. Expected to make this possible are the two major and dominant political parties in the country namely the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their members. Thank God people from the Southeast are both members and leaders of these dominant political parties. While it is not yet clear how the above mentioned parties and their members which include people from Southeast region will handle the zoning of their presidential tickets in 2023, it behoves members of the parties from the Southeast region to play the right politics by lobbying, persuading and reaching out to people from the other zones to support them to produce the president in 2023. It is often said that political power is not given, but fought for. The Southeast people need to fight for the 2023 presidency, shed off the toga of persecution and use tact, diplomacy, dialogue, intense lobbying and persuasion to convince other zones to support them.
The time is now and ripe. The odds favour the zone. It is not enough for the people of the zone to be all over social media platforms, pontificating and complaining of marginalization in a country they are major stakeholders. In order to achieve this, the Southeast political leaders and their supporters need to chart a new political course. This course should be in the direction of presenting new breed politicians that are untainted, widely sellable, less controversial and acceptable across the divide.
The support and cooperation of the Igbo apex socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, religious leaders and youths must be sought in this project. They cannot be aloof because they have never been so before now. It is just that they have not been able to get their acts right in lending their supports during presidential elections, due to clashes of personal interest, above collective interest of the people of the zone. There must be sacrifices and consensual approach to the process, especially among the political leaders from the Southeast zone.
It-must-be- me and nobody-else- mentality must be done away with by the Southeast political leaders to avoid being mocked and not taken seriously by other zones. In this regard, old breed politicians should be persuaded to shelve their presidential ambitions and be supportive of the new breeds in the pursuit of a President of Nigeria from the Southeast region. There must be unity of purpose, understanding and consensus among the Southeast people on who should be presented as a consensus candidate for 2023 presidency by the zone. Doing this, will make other zones to take them serious. This is a litmus political test the people of the Southeast zone must pass in 2023 to convince the rest of Nigerians that they are prepared and united in the pursuit of the 2023 presidency.
Eventhough I am not from the Southeast zone, I have lived there for years and had closely followed the politics and the leadership of the zone for over two decades. The zone just like other zones in the country is blessed with abundant human and material resources that have been left untapped. The people of the zone are very hardworking, accomodating and hospitable. But it appeared that they have not been able to get their politics right at the national level, since 1999 due to clashes of personal interests as against the collective interest and wellbeing of the people of the zone. This is why there is urgent need for paradigm shift in the leadership and followership recruitment in the zone, ahead of 2023 presidency if the zone must succeed. New breeds should be pushed forward and supported to contest for the 2023 presidency. It is doable by the people of Southeast zone if they can be altruistic, patriotic, sincere and selfless politically. On who should be presented among the young breeds will be dependent on so many factors that include humility, track record, performance, acceptance, and other good virtues. Without being preemptive and involved, I am of the view that the people of the Southeast region should look into the suggestion of Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode that Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi should be considered and supported for the job. Even before Fani Kayode’s statement recently that Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the best person the Southeast people should unanimously present and support to be President of the country in 2023, I have been looking in that direction also. I have closely followed and monitored their politics and politicians especially since 1999. One politician I have admired so much is the Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
I have closely monitored Ugwuanyi’s style of politics and leadership from his foray into the game, his days in the House of Representatives till today, he has remained genuine and outstanding in so many ways. Ugwuanyi has the character and qualities to fit into the space in 2023 and unite the country. He is one politician who has placed the collective interest and wellbeing of the people, irrespective of tribe, religious bent, and party affiliations above every other interest. Apart from being humble, diligent, untainted, less controversial, accessible, detribalized, peaceful and knowledgeable, his political reach, goodwill and networks across the divide is huge and overwhelming. He has the political cum economic savvy and sagacity to place nationhood above tribe, religion or personal interest. No wonder, since 2015, despite obvious and daunting challenges,he has been able to steer the ship of leadership in Enugu with utmost maturity, deep sense of reasoning, outstanding performance and unparalleled spirit of accommodation. This has kept Enugu in good stead, preserved the pride and status of the state as the capital of Southeast region. So surprising about Ugwuanyi’s style of leadership is that despite all his government has achieved in Enugu in the area of security, human empowerment, development, peace, accountability, transparency and good governance, he has remained reticent and less boastful of it. This is unlike some of his colleagues and their aides that are all over the media, making noise and parading audio and fathom projects, using executive powers to fight perceived political enemies and oppositions. With Ugwuanyi’s peaceful disposition and continous engagement of the people of the state in a bid to carry everyone along in the affairs of the state, it appears opposition has fizzled away in the state. This is because to Ugwuanyi immediately elections are over, politics is over and the wellbeing of people of the state takes precedent.
Ugwuanyi has carved a niche for himself in leadership with the way and manner he has piloted the affairs of Enugu State. He has never allowed power to intoxicate him rather he has used it to unite the people of the state. That was not the case in the state before him. With less than two years to the end of his second tenure, Ugwuanyi has not also rested on his oars as his government has continued to break new grounds with the ongoing construction of the first ever flyover bridge in the state at the popular T-junction along the Nike Road Abakpa and other numerous people-oriented projects across the state. Even the peak of the heightened insecurity in the Southeast region, Enugu was calm and peaceful. I had it on good authority that the state became a safe haven for government officials and prominent people from other states in the zone, who relocated to hotels in Enugu from where they go to their states and return back to rest and have peace. The peaceful atmosphere was made possible by Ugwuanyi’s administration over the years that it was difficult for the notorious unknown gunmen that terrorised the Southeast region to have an inroad into the coal city state.
Looking at Ugwuanyi’s political trajectory, antecedents and leadership exploits, it is perfect to say that he is the best option for Southeast people to push for 2023 presidency. He has the aura, experience, temperament, age and above all he is detribalized, broadminded and eclectic in approach to issues. The country needs a character like Ugwuanyi in 2023 to heal the wounds, mend the fences and build bridges across the divide for a more peaceful and united country.
Dr. Omoriegbe, a university don, writes Benin City, Edo State