By Sunday Ani
Founder, Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) and Secretary, Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA), Evangelist Elliot Uko, has warned politicians not to allow greed for power, arrogance and conspiracies to becloud their senses to the real issues behind the collective agreement of all for power to shift from the north to the south in 2023.
He lamented that those he called professional power mongers and specialist opportunists who do not appreciate the real reason power shift became inevitable should be called to order to avoid making a mess of eating boiled eggs.
Uko called on the political class who are clearly excited and overjoyed that powerful and influential members of the international community and the leadership of the land have agreed to a power shift to remember that the need to restore sanity in the land, the imperative of weakening the uncontrolled agitation and the inevitable reality that the government was clearly overwhelmed by the raging inferno in the land all influenced the power shift decision.
He also noted that the erroneous tacit support of the horrific brigandage of a favoured nomadic herdsmen, who in their blind attempt to intimidate and subdue aborigines all over the country, unleashed indescribable terror in the country, convincing all that their land grabbing gambit has powerful backing, further setting the country on the road to Armmegedon, also made it imperative for certain concessions to be made for the power shift to become a reality.
He warned politicians who do not have the necessary grit, knowledge and wisdom to heal the land to stay away from the 2023presidential race because power shift does not mean an end to agitation.
He noted that those that would contest for the 2023 presidential election must be willing to reconstruct the polity along true federalism and devolution of powers.
“Power shift is necessary and healthy because it is wrong to concentrate presidential power in one particular region as if others are eternal spectators or second class citizens, but it will be suicidal to pretend that power shift automatically resolves structural deficiencies and inadequacies that gave birth to over 90 percent of the political, social and economic issues troubling the country today.
“The current excitement among the political class should urgently be traded for soberness and deep reflection on how to genuinely revert to a functional structure that will move the country forward and restore trust and confidence in the system, thereby genuinely healing the land,” he stated.
He warned against desperation for power, saying, “greed for central power and hubris will most definitely lead to unnecessary errors and mistakes that may lead to untoward consequences. Conspiracy to outwit, blackmail and isolate others will lead to unfilled gaps that may eventually bring up unfavourable developments.
“We may wish to remind ourselves that the need and cry for justice, equity, sense of belonging, fairness and level playing field for all, inspired the now-agreed power shift; that lack or absence of equal opportunities and fair treatment for all, resulting to disaffection and loss of faith, led to bitterness and agitations; that the unjust unitary structure deliberately skewed against certain people and region, provided ammunition powering lack of interest in the system and then, agitations and that the consensual restructuring of the country would enthrone stability, peace and harmony, giving every section a sense of belonging, granting political progress and economic growth. The understanding that the task ahead is grave and delicate would help remove self-centred excitement that breeds conspiracy of power, greed and hubris.”