There has been no agreement among the Igbo about the boycott of the Anambra gubernatorial elections slated for November as called by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Perhaps nothing has ever divided Igbo opinion more than this boycott issue; but in the midst of the cacophony that has characterized much of the debate, some salient points are missed. The missing of the point comes in two ways: through honest misunderstanding of the real issues; and through deliberate muddying of the waters by seasoned politicians who fear that the boycott would hurt their selfish political career interests. But, the issues involved are too serious to be abandoned to either of the two sides listed above. There is a third group that has not yet spoken out strongly enough, and those voices should speak now and never let up until they are heard.
This opinion piece belongs in that third group.

The Igbo say that a child can play with its mother's breasts and get away with it, but the day the child dares to play with his father's scrotal sacs is the day the child gets appropriately punished.

Let's go there.

The ultimate truth is that the governors of the South East states in Nigeria have collectively failed to provide the needed leadership that would protect Igbo interests in Nigeria. All the governors have been local champions who cannot see beyond the boundaries of their individual states; sometimes they can't even see beyond the gates of their official governor's residences.

One may disagree with IPOB on their ultimate goal of seceding Igbo from Nigeria, but one would be hopelessly dishonest, or outright irresponsible to self-interest, to say that IPOB has been wrong on how absolutely useless the South East governors have been to core Igbo interest in Nigeria.

To add to the utter short-sightedness of these governors -whose conception of development only ends in tarring of the village and inter-village roads- they are also of the worst cowardly set; the likes we've never seen in the East right from the time of Nigeria's independence. It is as if Igbo governors are getting weaker and more cowardly as time passes. Michael Iheonukara Okpara was a very courageous Igbo man who not only boldly developed South Eastern cities of Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri, Aba, and to some extent Umuahia his own town, but also South South cities of Port Harcourt, and Calabar. Okpara was not busy building village roads -he was developing both Port Harcourt and Calabar (as coastal cities) to rival Lagos in everything -industrial estates, international airport, and other megacity infrastructure. He did so without ever looking the way of Nigeria's federal government, and he built them with a spirit that says “this is what we want for ourselves, deal with it. If you like it, good. If you don't, too bad for you because we won't stop!”.

That is the Igbo spirit.

After Okpara, Sam Mbakwe did the same, and to some extent, Jim Nwobodo in Imo and Anambra states respectively. In fact, Nwobodo and Mbakwe built Anambra and Imo (Mbakwe started Imo airport) with a certain confrontational attitude towards the federal government of Nigeria which has historically schemed to “contain Igbo people”. These real Igbo men stared down the FG and built infrastructure that could attract Igbo and other people back to South East. Had Jim Nwobodo continued to be governor of Anambra, even this much smaller one, he would have built an International airport there whether the federal government liked it or not. Fashola did exactly that in Lagos and handed the batten to Ambode who is continuing the Lekki international airport project and deep sea port, demonstrating no change in leadership philosophy for Lagos – bold, ambitious, unapologetic.
Why, for example, can't the governor of Enugu state sponsor and pass a law that bans open cattle grazing in Enugu state? A family friend from Enugu state told me yesterday that people no longer go to farms and streams in her village because terrorist Fulani herdsmen kill the men and rape the women in the bushes there. Why is it that the only “policy” demonstrated by Enugu state governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is to cry like a woman? What type of a governor is that? What has Ugwuanyi done to protect Enugu villages from alien terrorists essentially making life hell for the people he claims to govern?

Why is Owerri -a so called capital city- so insecure that people are being gunned down in broad daylight while the governor goofs around? Owerri used to be the most peaceful and “civilized” South East city; but now it has become a den of kidnappers, assassins, and armed robbers.

Why is Obiano not able to build an international airport at the site of the so called “cargo airport”? Anambra state has so much potential that all it would take is an investor ( foreign or domestic ) who would be given a BOT contract to build a world class international airport to attract entrepreneurial Igbo people back from all corners of Nigeria and the earth. Why can't Obiano see that Anambra is the commercial center-point of Igboland, and deserves international connection? Oh, I see, he is waiting for the federal government to come and build it, right? Apart from tarring village roads, what other business and major economic infrastructure has Peter Obi and Obiano built for Anambra state in the past 12 years or so?
Which of the infrastructure they built can support Igbo people as is the case in Lagos and the North?
Will Anambra remain a village state for ever?

Meanwhile, tiny and much less interested Eastern states like Bayelsa has since passed anti-open grazing law and is building an international airport while the northern youths are issuing quit notice on Igbo people in the North. Most of the Igbo in the North are hostages to the conspiracy that has manifested in Igbo governors neglecting the infrastructure interests of their own people. When the northern youths issued the quit notice, I personally felt that they are only throwing a gambit, because they know that Igbo governors are totally useless and spineless to protect Igbo interests in Nigeria. They only want to be called “governors” while their people are killed in their own land.

So, IPOB and Kanu stands on very solid grounds when they say that the guber elections only give credibility to house slaves parading as governors in Igboland.
This is a fact so strong that any human being who knows the issues can almost palpate.
I used to be against the boycott, but I'm not so sure that I'm still against it.
Given, IPOB's motive is secession; mine is survival of Igbo people inside the Nigerian nation. On this point of the total uselessness of South East governors, no sane Igbo can disagree.
Sometimes it is good to come to a complete halt before an opportunity for thorough reflection can present itself. These South East governors need to leave office, at least to show the world that they do not serve the interest of the people there. Let the FG declare a state of emergency there and appoint whoever it wants there; that way Igbo people can at least deal directly with the puppet master instead of dealing with the puppet.

A truth is like a red hot sword. It is foolhardy to try to stop it.


https://www.nigerialog.com/politics/anambra-elections-boycott-nnamdi-kanu-is-right-about-one-thing/

It is really amazing that someone can be parading around as a governor while his people are killed and raped in their own state.
Isn't it better that a state has no governor at all?
Just wondering...

THE ONLY PEOPLE SKEPTICAL ARE YORUBAS NOT IGBOS

Kingsley1000:
THE ONLY PEOPLE SKEPTICAL ARE YORUBAS NOT IGBOS

Yorubas aren't interested either way.

You have said it all bro. Before now, I hated anything that has to do with Biafra with passion. In fact, the word Biafra irritates me. I once got injured at Nwafor Orizu round-about at Nnewi when I engaged a group of Okada riders that are biafra supporters in a heated argument which even resulted to a fight. The scar gotten from that fight is still on me till date. That was way back in 2007 during the Massob days but what my eyes have seen these days shows that Nigeria as presently structured is irredeemable. We must get it right this time around to avoid our children passing through what we passed through in this cesspit called Nigeria. As for November 18th, I am staying indoors to send a message to those greedy politicians that they are nothing without us.

God Bless Biafra Nation

Whatever it will take to uproot,destroy & altimately send packing those coward governors representing SOKOTO caliphate & KANO emirate in IGBO land, is totally welcm by we Anambrarians. No more election in Igboland. Let those saboturs & cowards hidding under apga & pdp move to north & west & contest, since they are loved over there.

This is a wake up call, for once let the citizens show the power belong to them not the looting thieving politicians.

OP u re very right.

Igbos have never been more united in its history than on this Anambra election boycott. It will be total and massive election boycott. Any saboteur Igbo dt dare come out to vote will pay with his or her life.

#noelectioninAnambra

The #NoReferendumNoElection strategy is the biggest masterstroke unveiled by IPOB and will either make Eastern politicians become pro-Biafrans or lose relevance.

Kanu is a wise man.

You have said the truth by brother. It is so painful to reflect on the erosion of Igbo values over the years. We need politicians who can project, protect, exhibit and live Igbo core values confidently. These values are hard work, fearlessness, honesty, belief in self, respect for elders on the basis of merit, belief in the sanctity of life, belief that everyman is equal, belief that your circumstances of birth does not limit your life opportunities, belief in the values of an egalitarian society. Go to all parts of the developed world and you will see that these values are replicated. But we reside in a very hostile environment where these values are scoffed at. The Nigerian system is waging a ferocious battle both physically and ideologically against the Igbo. They would wish the Igbo lose their identity and value system. The governors we need today are those who will stop at nothing to bring perpetrators of violence against any Igbo to book; battle the federal government using every legitimate means until justice is done. We need governors that will take measures to fill the gaps occasioned by the federal government inability to uphold the duty of care for its citizens. Governors that love the Igbo like Ojukwu, Michael Okpara, Nnamdi Kanu, etc. Until we get to this point I do not see any need for an election. Even if it means APGA losing the election to APC; I don't care. At least the battle will only get hotter. There is no going back until total restructuring of Nigeria so that a bigot anywhere in Nigeria even if he is in Aso Rock will not have an iota of control over how I decide my destiny.

Op i read from the first to the last words and i couldn't agree more with you on this. These governors are very useless. They are feeding their pockets and bank accounts to the detriment of their respective states. Obiano, ugwuanyi, okorocha, ikpeazu, umahi, you guys are the worst set of governors we've ever had in igbo land.

Succintly crafted and nailed. There should be no election in Anambra and the entire Southern Nigeria should seat at home if Nigeria is not restructured before general elections.

Nigeria is irredeemable in the current state

eventhough am a yoruba man, i agree totally with you posted, and i have been a supporter of Biafra right from when i begen to understand the truth meaning of what a nation should be, something Nigeria is clearly not....
of what use is an election to any state, local government in nigeira when almost all of it is rigged, overinflated and where citizens are brutalized by thugs....i wish all states in the country can boycott all the elections going forward (let them do what they know how to do best ''rigging'', infact they just need to write the result). I wish my people in kwara state can boycott all elections going forward (whether we vote for saraki or not, he will be rigged in...why then should we continue allowing ourselves to be humilated, injured and brutalized by thugs empowered with guns and cutlasses all in the name of election)...anyone against the election boycott is not a good nigerian and is without conscience or maybe the person doesnt care about the coming generations.

it is time we all let our voices be heard loud and clear

This is on point. Unity beggars are just pathetic.

hegelian:
eventhough am a yoruba man, i agree totally with you posted, and i have been a supporter of Biafra right from when i begen to understand the truth meaning of what a nation should be, something Nigeria is clearly not....
of what use is an election to any state, local government in nigeira when almost all of it is rigged, overinflated and where citizens are brutalized by thugs....i wish all states in the country can boycott all the elections going forward (let them do what they know how to do best ''rigging'', infact they just need to write the result). I wish my people in kwara state can boycott all elections going forward (whether we vote for saraki or not, he will be rigged in...why then should we continue allowing ourselves to be humilated, injured and brutalized by thugs empowered with guns and cutlasses all in the name of election)...anyone against the election boycott is not a good nigerian and is without conscience or maybe the person doesnt care about the coming generations.

it is time we all let our voices be heard loud and clear

Hmmm.....God bless you bro mi. The truth is that majority of my Yoruba friends are not happy with the situation of things in Nigeria. They do not care or mind if this country is partitioned or restructured so far it is going to usher in growth and development. It is only on Nairaland here that I see some so-called omoluabis behaving as if their lives depend on Biafra though I know that many of them are Northerners claiming southerners to divide us. One thing I know for sure is that a great hurricane is coming and Nigeria would never remain the same again. Anyway, only the wise can decipher.

SegunAdewole:
The #NoReferendumNoElection strategy is the biggest masterstroke unveiled by IPOB it will either make Eastern politicians either become pro-Biafrans or lose relevance.

Kanu is a wise man.

Exactly and its a non violent approach. Some Igbo politicians actually wanted to reap from Kanu's agitation. They want to use IPOB as a means of enhancing their chances in politicking. These are individuals like soludo and the cream of ohaneze leadership. They operate under the pretexts of providing intellectual blend to make the agitation more acceptable but they are actually serving themselves. Kanu has proven to be smarter than all of them. Kanu is so unpredictable. I pray for his safety.

this is a great one..