[b]ABC Nwosu to Ndigbo on 2011 polls: Abandon Zoning, Commit Political Suicide[/b]Periscope Sep 11, 2010
Share | By Tony Edike

Professor Alphonsus Bosah Chukwurah (ABC) Nwosu was Political Adviser and Minister of Health in the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2003. Before then he was the Chairman, Organizing Committee of MKPOKO IGBO of 1994 and the Head of the Igbo Secretariat at the 1995 Constitutional Conference. Recently he was appointed Director of Research, Planning and Strategy for President Ibrahim Babangida’s Campaign Organization. In this interview, he speaks of what should constitute the Agenda for 2011 Presidential Election, the contentious issue of zoning and advises his kinsmen, Ndigbo not to abandon the accepted concept of zoning which they fashioned and pushed through for redressing marginalization at the 1995 Constitutional Conference. Excerpts:

What is your schedule of work as Director of Research, Planning and Strategy for the IBB Presidential Campaign Organization. What are your plans?

There is a Director-General and Director Media and Communications of the IBB Campaign Organization. The Director-General speaks for the organization, I can only comment as a citizen. As to how I came to be, it was to be expected especially after the meeting of the South East Consultative Forum with Northern elders to the effect that zoning was sacrosanct and the North should complete the presidential tenure zoned to the North in 2007 and thereafter the presidency shall rotate to Ndigbo. I am a strong believer in this agreement and therefore decided to service a presidential candidate who is also a strong believer in this agreement.

But Ohanaeze Ndigbo has stated that it did not enter into any agreement with the North.

Who said that Ohanaeze entered into any agreement? Ohanaeze Ndigbo is a socio-cultural body and the apex for Ndigbo. It was the South East Consultative Forum to which I belong that entered into the agreement. Ndigbo may wish to react to the agreement in their own way. The central point is that we believe that 2015 is our date and destiny with the presidency of Nigeria. The other dates are 2019, 2023, 2027 and so on. The political arithmetic is simple and we expect Ndigbo to be mindful of these dates and not commit political suicide in 2011.

Prof, before this interview I thought that you were only concerned about zoning…

(cut in) Of course zoning and six geopolitical zones are the core of nationhood and nation building. You must have justice, fairness, equity and a sense of belonging by all constituent peoples in the Nigeria project before you can have national progress and development. That is why some of us consider zoning, six geopolitical zones and federal character principle as sacrosanct and vital for our unity, peace and stability. For the records, zoning, rotation and six geopolitical zones including the names South-East, South-South, North Central etc are the brainchild of the South East in 1994 which were canvassed comprehensively at the Constitutional Conference of 1995.

Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and the late Dr. Sam Mbakwe led a South East presentation which they stoutly defended on the floor of the conference. Before that conference, the Igbo unanimously endorsed the concepts both at the committee level under late Dr. Pius Okigbo and by Ohanaeze. In my view it will be politically suicidal for Ndigbo to abandon these concepts in 2011 and 2015 and beyond before the deprived geopolitical zones would have attained the presidency. In my view, it is also cruel and unfair for geopolitical zones that used zoning to attain the presidency in 1999, 2003, 2007 to now turn and repudiate zoning before the purpose of zoning would have been achieved. This will be tantamount to crossing a bridge and burning that same bridge so that others on the disadvantaged side will not cross.

I am sure you have read the report of the World Igbo Congress where the president’s message said that he is an Easterner and that Igbo interests are well represented. How do you react?

How do I react? It would be unfair for me to treat the newspaper reports as Mr. President’s message because Mr. President is yet to signify his intention to contest. I will therefore react to President of Ijaw National Congress and a Minister who gave the messages. I will remind them that support was denied to a South-Southerner in 2007 on the belief that he was Igbo.

I shall say no more on this. To the minister who is a South-Easterner I shall say nothing except that a people’s identity is a people’s identity. It is called Ahamefula in Igbo. In 1979 and 1983, the legend, the Great Zik of Africa contested the presidency on the platform of NPP because of Ahamefula. In 2003 and 2007, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu contested the presidency on the platform of APGA because of Ahamefula. In 1999 and 2003 Dr Ekwueme was denied the same presidency by the PDP.

We do not wish to ask where our brother Nigerians were during these contests when Ndigbo were denied. What Ndigbo plead for is understanding from their fellow brothers and should not be insulted with pedestrian presentations such as those made at the World Igbo Congress.

The Great Zik is no more. The baton has now been passed to a new generation. ]This generation of Ndigbo will have a choice to run away, betray or sell ahamefula to their eternal shame and permanent condemnation of their children and grand-children.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/09/11/abc-nwosu-to-ndigbo-on-2011-polls-abandon-zoning-commit-political-suicide/

MetalGong4:

Vanguard Reporter :- I am sure you have read the report of the World Igbo Congress where the president’s message said that he is an Easterner and that Igbo interests are well represented. How do you react?

Prof ABC Nwosu: - How do I react? It would be unfair for me to treat the newspaper reports as Mr. President’s message because Mr. President is yet to signify his intention to contest. I will therefore react to President of Ijaw National Congress and a Minister who gave the messages. I will remind them that support was denied to a South-Southerner in 2007 on the belief that he was Igbo.

I shall say no more on this. To the minister who is a South-Easterner I shall say nothing except that a people’s identity is a people’s identity. It is called Ahamefula in Igbo. In 1979 and 1983, the legend, the Great Zik of Africa contested the presidency on the platform of NPP because of Ahamefula. In 2003 and 2007, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu contested the presidency on the platform of APGA because of Ahamefula. In 1999 and 2003 Dr Ekwueme was denied the same presidency by the PDP.

We do not wish to ask where our brother Nigerians were during these contests when Ndigbo were denied. What Ndigbo plead for is understanding from their fellow brothers and should not be insulted with pedestrian presentations such as those made at the World Igbo Congress.

The Great Zik is no more. The baton has now been passed to a new generation. ]This generation of Ndigbo will have a choice to run away, betray or sell ahamefula to their eternal shame and permanent condemnation of their children and grand-children.

I wholeheartedly concur with the above quote of my erudite Prof . . .  The baton has been handed over to a new generation of Ndigbo, and we shouldnt betray or sell Ahamefula.

The problem of deciding who to back in this election is becoming harder by the day for Ndigbo.

I just read that Bukola Saraki is being primed by some northern interests to be the consensus northern candidate. If that information proves true, then Ndigbo must do more critical thinking and bargaining before taking a stand.

I know how the north operates: they are politically "unscrupulous".
Bukola Saraki may be a northerner with some Fulani blood, but, he also has Yoruba blood! 
So, if the north is willing to field a half Yoruba man to fly the northern banner, not minding that another Yoruba man just finished an 8 year term, why shouldn't the Igbo support an easterner who may well have some Igbo lineage by virtue of his Ekpeye tribe being half Igbo?

My lesson from Nigerian political history is never to rule out any assets you may have in your war chest, even the devil himself; cos frankly, others are much more willing to do the same!

So, brothers, we have some calculation to do. I am not privy to Jonathan's inner mindset and team. I am throwing this out for the consumption of those Igbo who might be.

Enjoy!

This is a fairer picture.

^
Though this chic is damn ugly! [size=14pt]Damn! [/size]

Let see how deep you guys are going to keep boxing yourself into a corner as the days go by.

Am amused everyday to see young Igbo chaps still chorusing what some of their old and discredited politicians are saying, when others are trying to break away from their old generations of politicians.

It becoming apparent that your present support for IBB and the other candidates is borne out the promise of come 2015, an Igbo man will climb the seat; hummmm!, what sort of political calculation is this!!!.

I think it time, young Igbo chaps get more education in political strategy and move away from political operation and planning.

Get a plan B and stop this childish and 100% dump support for the ambition of IBB.

ilugunboy:

Let see how deep you guys are going to keep boxing yourself into a corner as the days go by.

Am amused everyday to see young Igbo chaps still chorusing what some of their old and discredited politicians are saying, when others are trying to break away from their old generations of politicians.

It becoming apparent that your present support for IBB and the other candidates is borne out the promise of come 2015, an Igbo man will climb the seat; hummmm!, what sort of political calculation is this!!!.

I think it time, young Igbo chaps get more education in political strategy and move away from political operation and planning.

Get a plan B and stop this childish and 100% dump support for the ambition of IBB.

you are not smart enough to advise your 10year old nephew talk less of your betters the great IGBO people, who said we are 100%ibb, ibo haters are out again, if it is the ibos that are fielding this large number of presidential aspirants like the north, the ngbanti press will be every where with their divisive and sinister agenda, if it is IBB that will end ibo marginalization we will vote for him, if it is another so shall it be, the southwest is interested only in preserving the privileges the civil war has given them, they dont like GEJ or the south south

^^^^mr intelligent.

I can assume that you are reatively new here or you've been banned as usual and you created a new user ID, whatever the case may be, learn how to write properly and stop writing the kinda of bullcrap you have up there.

Leave the Yorubas out of this, well will be here to see where your Banbangida A.s.s licking attititude ends your like.

ilugunboy:

^^^^mr intelligent.

I can assume that you are reatively new here or you've been banned as usual and you created a new user ID, whatever the case may be, learn how to write properly and stop writing the kinda of bullcrap you have up there.

Leave the Yorubas out of this, well will be here to see where your Banbangida A.s.s licking attititude ends your like.

Let me break down what gogo123 is trying to convey, since your daftness won't allow you to understand. He wants to drill it into your skull that the majority of Ndigbo will play their politics based on the permutations that serve their interest, and not based on Yoruba or Ijaw man's  hypocritical propangandas. Most of you hypocrites are now against zoning whereas Obasanjo and Jonathan are all products of zoning. . .  It eludes of sheer dishonesty and hypocrisy.

Igbo interests first and foremost. Every other thing is excess cargo.

Whether your ngwati folks like it or not, Ndigbos are on the track to reclaim all our enviable positions before the Civil War. The sooner you get used to it, the better.

Let me break down what gogo123 is trying to convey, since your daftness won't allow you to understand. He wants to drill it into your skull that the majority of Ndigbo will play their politics based on the permutations that serve their interest, and not based on Yoruba or Ijaw man's hypocritical propangandas. Most of you hypocrites are now against zoning whereas Obasanjo and Jonathan are all products of zoning. . . It eludes of sheer dishonesty and hypocrisy.

metalrubbish or whateverr!!, sharrapppp!!. If you think your political interest will be serve better by Ibb, good luck to you and your ilk. Thinking that power will be will be handed over to you in 2015 or 2019 or a sheer plater of Gold is to say the least political stupididty.

Keep dreaming!!!

Aren't some people tired of these old breed politicians who have been recycled times without number?

ilugunboy:

metalrubbish or whateverr!!, sharrapppp!!. If you think your political interest will be serve better by Ibb, good luck to you and your ilk. Thinking that power will be will be handed over to you in 2015 or 2019 or a sheer plater of Gold is to say the least political stupididty.
Keep dreaming!!!

You ilegunboy and your fellow ngbatimen are too dumb to beguile Ndigbo with the Yoruba emblematic pedestrian propaganda. From 1999 to 2003, Nigerians didnt hear any echo of all these nonsense presently emanating from you treacherous and hypocritical yorubas.

Fine, we are taking the risk, we will not die in the suicide.

Suicide seems to work for those that are committing it,
it will work for us a far better place/position in the Nigerian polity.

ilugunboy:

metalrubbish or whateverr!!, sharrapppp!!. If you think your political interest will be serve better by Ibb, good luck to you and your ilk. Thinking that power will be will be handed over to you in 2015 or 2019 or a sheer plater of Gold is to say the least political stupididty.

Keep dreaming!!!

Now this is the issue. Why do i still feel that a lot of Nigerians (non-Igbos) are more favorable to calculations that will deny Igbo the presidency in the near future.

With statements like this and more that one gets to read here on daily basis, i see we really have a long way to unification in this country.

So ABC response in retention of zoning is to pitch his tent with the evil one IBB?

The earlier the northerners realise that it is their lack of sellable candidate in the PDP that empowers GEJ, the better for them.  

Zoning or not, a combined team of SARAKI,ATIKU and IBB cant stop GEJ.

That is his own personal opinion and can not represent the opinion of Igbo's in general. Come to think of it, how do they even imagin that at this age I will cast my vote for IBB, God forbid.

As for now, there is no credible candidate yet and as that is the case, Jonathan happens to be the only person that will win my vote.

So for those of you campaining for IBB, please make it a personal opinion and stop dragging the Igbo's in general into it.

Thank you.

Suicide is now a profitable venture
and we certainly are taking the risk.

It is a calculated suicide/risk dining with the resident devil than to flirt
with the alien open toothed blood thirsty scammer

Care-Taker:

Suicide is now a profitable venture
and we certainly are taking the risk.
It is a calculated suicide/risk dining with the resident devil than to flirt
with the alien open toothed blood thirsty scammer

Maybe you dont know your history and that of Nigeria very well . . . Come 2011 presidential election, you are on your own if you choose to commit political suicide by buying into ngbatimen propaganda against Zoning.

Care-Taker:

[size=14pt]Suicide is now a profitable venture[/size]
and we certainly are taking the risk.

It is a calculated suicide/risk dining with the resident devil than to flirt
with the alien open toothed blood thirsty scammer

Dude, you hit the nail on the head. Absolutely brilliant!
Bags of money are being recieved by immoral men "speaking on behalf" of the gullible moral masses.

calyx:

Now this is the issue. Why do i still feel that a lot of Nigerians (non-Igbos) are more favorable to calculations that will deny Igbo the presidency in the near future.

With statements like this and more that one gets to read here on daily basis, i see we really have a long way to unification in this country.

Nice observation by a discerning and political savvy dude. Few Igbo political fledglings on this forum do not understand the import of all these recent propagandas against zoning, which is chiefly echoing from a particular section of the country. Where were all these loudmouths from 1999 to 2007, when the PDP presidential candidates and their running mates were chosen based on zoning.

Igbo interest will always be first and foremost. I don't need no stinking Yoruba telling me what to do. Go and worry about your own EWU people.

@ OnlyTruth,

Who said GEJ is Ekpeye? He is a full blooded Ijaw man. I think he said it himself.

Obiagu1:

@ OnlyTruth,

Who said GEJ is Ekpeye? He is a full blooded Ijaw man. I think he said it himself.

He said his grandfather was from my hometown of Arochukwu. GEJ may indeed have Aro Igbo blood coursing through his veins which would make an Aro.

Remember how widespread my people really are.

EzeUche22:

He said his grandfather was from my hometown of Arochukwu. GEJ may indeed have Aro Igbo blood coursing through his veins which would make an Aro.

Remember how widespread my people really are.

But he said he is Ijaw. I can't find the interview where he said it.

Igbo interest will always be first and foremost. I don't need no stinking Yoruba telling me what to do. Go and worry about your own EWU people.

. . . . and exactly what is Igbo interest. Stop this vague and general statement and come out with specifics of the short, medium and long term interest of Igbos in the Nigerian equation.

So sad if your type is what Igbos are breeding these days, hardly can you make any statement without getting rather abusive. Sad indeed!!!

ilugunboy:

. . . . and exactly what is Igbo interest. Stop this vague and general statement and come out with specifics of the short, medium and long term interest of Igbos in the Nigerian equation.

So sad if your type is what Igbos are breeding these days, hardly can you make any statement without getting rather abusive. Sad indeed!!!

As I have told you, Igbos do not need your Yoruba jaundiced advice . . . . . I think you presently have enough leaks to patch in ilegun and the rest of SouthWest.

Ilugun boy, I do not see why you hit your head over something that hardly concerns you. As we speak, our own brothers are also strategizing for IBB. I have always said it that without zoning, ibos are politicallly limbo[b]rized[/b] in Nigeria. It has to be the north in 2011, whether that Northerner will be IBB, Atiku, Buhari, or Ribadu is a different story.

MetalGong4:

Maybe you dont know your history and that of Nigeria very well . . . Come 2011 presidential election, you are on your own if you choose to commit political suicide by buying into ngbatimen propaganda against Zoning.

I understand you are from Aro who are scattered everywhere,
ever going and never returning/remembering home  (Ala wu otu).

Well, i don't want to go about it your way. I know my history very well.
We are working with Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan come 2011.
we have our blue print to return ndigbo to their original enviable position/place in Nigerian politics/polity.
It is going to work, Jonathan will win, pdp will break into pieces, their zoning arrangement will fail, we will all return to
the drawing board with sound changes/reforms that will be effected by our president, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan.

Care-Taker:

I understand you are from Aro who are scattered everywhere,
ever going and never returning/remembering home  (Ala wu otu).

Well, i don't want to go about it your way. I know my history very well.
We are working with Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan come 2011.
we have our blue print to return ndigbo to their original enviable position/place in Nigerian politics/polity.
It is going to work, Jonathan will win, pdp will break into pieces, their zoning arrangement will fail, we will all return to
the drawing board with sound changes/reforms that will be effected by our president, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan.

So after other zones have benefitted from the PDP zoning agreement, you and your fellow Igbo sellouts would truncate the zoning arrangement at a time  Igbos are about to produce theirs. . . . . .  You must be a son or relative of Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who revels in working against the interest of Ndigbo.
I promise your camp a thorough thrashing at the polls.

Care-Taker:

I understand you are from Aro who are scattered everywhere,
ever going and never returning/remembering home  (Ala wu otu).

Well, i don't want to go about it your way. I know my history very well.
We are working with Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan come 2011.
we have our blue print to return ndigbo to their original enviable position/place in Nigerian politics/polity.
It is going to work, Jonathan will win, pdp will break into pieces, their zoning arrangement will fail, we will all return to
the drawing board with sound changes/reforms that will be effected by our president, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan.

Sound machiavelian and ambitious, but how does that give Igbos the presidency in 2015?