The Igbo & Jonathan’s Presidency
By Onyeabo Obi
I have just received a cheap campaign scare-mongering propaganda material entitled Igbos are doomed if Jonathan succeeds. True, the Igbos have suffered serious setbacks over the years (some of our own making), but the Igbos were not doomed by the events leading up to, during and following the CiviI War, were not doomed by the 9 years of Yakubu Gowon’s military rule, were not doomed by the 4 years of Shehu Shagari’s rule, were not doomed by the 8 years of IBB’s military rule, were not doomed by the 11 years of Olusegun Obasanjo’s rule, were not doomed by the 3 years of Yar’Adua’s rule and the Igbos have not been doomed by the 6 months so far of Jonathan’s rule, etc. Why would we be doomed by some more years of our brother/cousin/neighbour Jonathan’s rule? As someone opined: "If go back, we die, go forward we die, why not go forward and die?"
This campaign death scare "Igbos Are doomed if jonathan succeeds" was first distributed at the Concorde Hotel, Owerri venue of a recent (sadly aborted) political meeting by over-zealous paid agents of certain Northern aspirants. The scare reminds one of a similar campaign scare mounted by racist and ultra-right wing Americans against Obama: "If you vote an African American (Muslim) as President, America is doomed"! They say that all is fair in love and war, and this seems to give some political do-or-die combatants and their over-zealous supporters the excuse for dirty games! It failed to stop Obama being elected, and I believe that it will not, by itself, stop Jonathan from being nominated as PDP candidate nor from being elected President!
The under-belly of the propaganda is that some aspirants have said that, if elected, they will only serve one term and hand over power to Onye-Igbo! Look at their record: nobody abandons power unless he is forced to do so by the Almighty: (Abacha, 1998, Yar’Adua, 2010 - though they are not birds of the same feather), force of law such as Constitutional limitation or other process of removal (Obasanjo, 2007), force of arms or political pressure (Gowon did not hand over to civilians when he promised to and was overthrown 1975), IBB (Maradona) continuously extended his tenure and finally annulled "the freest and fairest election held in Nigeria widely believed to have been won by Abiola" and left only when he was forced by political pressures to step aside, 1993! OBJ was said to have reneged on his agreement to rule for only one term of 4 years, then planned to seek a third term after his 2 terms of 4 years each via an aborted Constitutional amendment and was forced to leave and hand over power on May 29, 2007 by the Constitutional limitation of tenure!
Why would anyone believe that any President would voluntary vacate office after one term of 4 years, if he can get another, just because he wants an Igbo element to succeed him? We have Maradona, not Mandela, remember! In the UK, remember the long tussle between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown over an agreement for succession! And why should any individual play God to Ndigbo by "dashing" us power or office? And why would any clear-headed self-respecting Onye-Igbo bask in this illusory, anaesthetising, non-justiceable and non-enforceable "promise" of eating off the crumbs of a master’s table?
The office of President or Governor is not zoned in the PDP Constitution – nor in the Nigerian Constitution; for that matter, otherwise, could PDP Senator Gbemisola Saraki be seeking to succeed her brother present Governor Bukola Saraki who has ruled Kwara State for 2 terms of 4 years each? How did Abubakar Rimi (Kano) contest the PDP Presidential Primaries in 1999 with Obasanjo and Ekwueme? How could Gemade (Benue) join the PDP Presidential Primaries contest against OBJ and Ekwueme in 2003? How did Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ebitu Ukiwe (Abia) and others from the South contest the PDP Presidential Primaries against Yar’Adua and Gusau in 2007 and in fact, Rochas Okorocha came second to Yar’Adua in the contest, beating General Gusau?
If IBB or Atiku wanted to give power to Ndigbo, why did they not support any of the Igbo aspirants in any of the PDP Presidential Primaries: Ekwueme, Asiodu or Nwobodo, 1999, Ekwueme, 2003 or Okorocha or Ukiwe, 2007?
Bear in mind that the Zoning "arrangement/agreement/discussions/decisions" are a PDP "family affair" and that General Buhari (Katsina) and other Northerners contested the 2003 election on the platform of the APP/ANPP against OBJ, while Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (APGA), Pat Utomi (Delta) (ADC), Chris Okotie (Delta) and other Southerners contested the election against Yar’Adua in 2007 on the platform of their respective political parties.
In the Second Republic in which I was elected and served as Senator, my Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) was against Zoning as a principle, but in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) where Zoning was the official policy, one of the leaders of the Party, our own inimitable (and my double in-law Dr. Kingsley Ozuomba Mbadiwe declared nemo contradicente (without contradiction): "We Zone to UNzone"! Doctrinaires on the issue beware, as it is said that "only fools rush in where Angels fear to tread"! I have come to learn that In real-politik, one-plus-one is not always or necessarily two, as we were taught in school, and so Nigeria elected a President in 1979 on the 12-and two-thirds principle ("not to be used as a judicial precedent" and solved a contrived political impasse earlier this year based on "the doctrine of necessity", a well-known principle of International Law!
If Nigerians feel that Zoning is a necessary part of the development of our democracy, we should enshrine it in our Constitution; not between North and South, but between the six Geo-Political Zones (GPZs), with the order, manner and tenure of rotation clearly defined. But remember, Abiola did NOT win his election based on Zoning; nor did Obama!
Ndigbo are politically discerning and astute. In 1992, in spite of the fact that Onye-Igbo (Dr. Sylvester Ugoh, Imo, devout Christian) was the running mate to Alhaji Bashir Tofa (Kano), the Igbos resoundingly voted for Moshood Abiola (Ogun) and his running mate, Ambassador Baba Kingibe (Borno), both Muslims.
The Northwest (Murtala, Abacha, Shagari and Yar’Adua) has ruled Nigeria for a total of over 11 years, the North-East (Balewa) 7 years, North-Central (Gowon, Babangida, Abdulsalam (a total of 18 years), South-West (Obasanjo) 11 years, Southeast (Ironsi) - only 6 months and South-South ( Jonathan) only 6 months so far! If Federal character or Zoning means anything right, equitable and democratic, the South-South (Jonathan in situ) should continue, then followed by the Southeast: any return to any other zone before then should be seen as an aberration!
The position of Ndigbo has been succinctly re-stated by Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Statement titled presidential election and zoning: The Position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo) signed by our President-General, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, OFR, dated 15th October, 2010 published as a full page advertisement in different newspapers. The concluding sentence states:
"In line with this position, taken after wide consultations over several months among Igbo people at home and abroad, Ohanaeze Ndigbo confidently urges the Igbo Nation to support en masse a credible new generation Presidential candidate that has emerged from the South-South geo-political zone, Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan". Our esteemed leaders would not have taken this position if they are satisfied or feared that "Ndigbo would be doomed if Jonathan succeeds.
•Senator Obi, a senior legal practitioner, is a member, PDP Board of Trustees.

http://www.champion.com.ng/displaycontent.asp?pid=1991

Ndigbo, please support en-masse a credible new generation presidential candidate in the name of G.Ebere.J.

Yawn.

Can you guys for once stop bringing attention to yourselves

Onyema Obi is on his own!!! GEJ aint a new generational president, but the same old thing. . . . .  An Atiku/Soludo or Atiku/Nnamani is the best option for Ndigbo.

asha 80:

Can you guys for once stop bringing attention to yourselves 

I agree.

rolfmoa!!

asha 80:

Can you guys for once stop bringing attention to yourselves

What sort of attention are you talking about?. Anyway, attention should be on Mr Obi's comments not on the poster here. Say what you like or dislike about his comments.

ChinenyeN:

Yawn.

Chinenye, use your senses here. What are your comments on what Mr Obi said?. If there are lies, puncture it than yawn. Mind you, you have never in the history of Nairaland started a thread before.

Can someone please define credible?

On this week, the GEJ Government bribed a pastor for his support and someone still drops the credible line?

astonishing!!!!!!!!

Andre Uweh:

What sort of attention are you talking about?. Anyway, attention should be on Mr Obi's comments not on the poster here. Say what you like or dislike about his comments.

i do not care what obi or eze said.enough of this posting of ohaneze did this or youth group did that.how is it going to change the average man's vote on the street?same old round and roung debates.how many other ethnic groups do you see endoresment this endorement that.chineke ekwela njo.

asha 80:

Can you guys for once stop bringing attention to yourselves

I agree with you. It is getting very tiring and boring

Ndigbo alone can not elect Jonathan. So whats the noise about?

mikeansy:

Can someone please define credible?

On this week, the GEJ Government bribed a pastor for his support and someone still drops the credible line?

astonishing!!!!!!!!

There is another thread for a bribed pastor or not. But your IBB or now Atiku is worse.
Back t the topic, do you have rebuttals to Mr Obi's comments?.

Andre Uweh:

There is another thread for a bribed pastor or not. But your IBB or now Atiku is worse.
Back t the topic, do you have rebuttals to Mr Obi's comments?.

How many times do you kill an antelop to become an antelop killer.

Tell us GEJ's programmes, the credibility claim has been exposed as a farce long ago.

It does not matter who is worse, they are all corrupt.

asha 80:

i do not care what obi or eze said.enough of this posting of ohaneze did this or youth group did that.how is it going to change the average man's vote on the street?same old round and roung debates.how many other ethnic groups do you see endoresment this endorement that.chineke ekwela njo.

It is not about Ohanaeze but about Obi's comments which involves NPN, NPP, Azikiwe, Gowon, Abacha, Ojukwu, Utomi, Ukiwe, Ojukwu etc.
If you have nothing to contribute, just ignore it, no need attacking the poster.

Andre Uweh:

It is not about Ohanaeze but about Obi's comments which involves NPN, NPP, Azikiwe, Gowon, Abacha, Ojukwu, Utomi, Ukiwe, Ojukwu etc.
If you have nothing to contribute, just ignore it, no need attacking the poster.

Enjoy your nonsense debate

mikeansy:

How many times do you kill an antelop to become an antelop killer.

Tell us GEJ's programmes, the credibility claim has been exposed as a farce long ago.

It does not matter who is worse, they are all corrupt.

@the bolded, but who is more corrupt?. Why do you make a reference to GEJ's programmes of 6 months and ignoring other regimes which Mr OBI commented upon?. What is just your problem with GEJ?.

@andrew,
u are just a cheap attention seeker. if anyone use you for campeign, that one will not only fail but also be doomed.
in simple terms, outline those points for which you wld want us to vote jonathan or anyother person.
folks here are all informed and know who their best candidates are.
instead of boring nairalanders, why not tell ur jonathan to concentrate of those things that will make him popular and well positioned for the forthcoming elections.
are you not aware that your jonathan is only seeking our supports on the pages of the newspapers and facebook only? if jonathan wants our votes, he has the federal govt in his hands and can use the available funds to make land mark improvements on the areas of our infrastructures.
be informed that jonathan is only working on the pdp formular(rigging) and do or die affairs.

@ andre Uweh

why do you want to sell your birth right? do you know that in politics, "ONLY INTEREST IS PERMANENT, FRIENDSHIP IS TEMPORARY"? do you not know that if ohanaeze supports GJ there is absolutely no way we can have an igbo president any time soon because everyone would go back to their tent. WHEN (not if) that happens, the north would ALWAYS hold the power because religion unites them. they would be closely followed by the yorubas because history and blood unites them also, some of them have fulani heritage. the last but not the least, would be the SS (especially the ijaw) because they would become politically relevant after GJ's tenure. it would be WAZOVARE instead of WAZOBIA. why do you insist on committing political suicide? or do you think it would form any bond between you and the ss? NO it would not because the reason for the broken bond has not been addressed which is believed to be an "igbo domination agenda". they would not and never trust you. can you not see these things? has the SS ever supported you?

i dey laugh oooo!!!!

Andrew uweh

My problem with GEJ is that he is very dumb and has no business leading even a community of 10 people.

mikeansy:

Andrew uweh

My problem with GEJ is that he is very dumb and has no business leading even a community of 10 people.

What will you do if he emerges to lead a country of 150 million people?.

@ andre uweh

just to add,

has GJ built a single road in the east for the past 6 months? Why are you supporting GJ, is it because:

1) ohanaeze told you so?
2) because of a letter he wrote to ohaneze and ndigbo some yrs back?
3) because, all of a sudden his middle name is azikwe?
4) he has promised to develop the east?
5) to handover the presidency to an igbo man like some sought of military dictator?
6) he has done anything to improve the country without the masses knowing?
7) is not corrupt?
he is on facebook ?
9) because he is not a northerner?
10) simply because you BELIEVE he would do something for the COUNTRY and not just Ndigbo?

pls, let me know!

1025:

@andrew,
u are just a cheap attention seeker. if anyone use you for campeign, that one will not only fail but also be doomed.
in simple terms, outline those points for which you wld want us to vote jonathan or anyother person.
folks here are all informed and know who their best candidates are.
instead of boring nairalanders, why not tell your jonathan to concentrate of those things that will make him popular and well positioned for the forthcoming elections.
are you not aware that your jonathan is only seeking our supports on the pages of the newspapers and facebook only? if jonathan wants our votes, he has the federal govt in his hands and can use the available funds to make land mark improvements on the areas of our infrastructures.
be informed that jonathan is only working on the pdp formular(rigging) and do or die affairs.

Boy, this your gara-gara here is not helping what message you want to send across. I seems you eat and breath GEJ or else how come you are not commenting on what Mr Obi said than your usual attack of your head of state.
By the way this your irrelevant post looks abusive. Take time, you may not know I am a game also.

This zoning principle makes no sense. How is GEJs campaign even consistent with zoning? Is it not still the North's turn, if we believe in zoning? How did Yar'Adua become president if it wasn't?

Some of these positions seems contradictory. . .

jason12345:

@ andre Uweh

why do you want to sell your birth right? do you know that in politics, "ONLY INTEREST IS PERMANENT, FRIENDSHIP IS TEMPORARY"? do you not know that if ohanaeze supports GJ there is absolutely no way we can have an igbo president any time soon because everyone would go back to their tent. WHEN (not if) that happens, the north would ALWAYS hold the power because religion unites them. they would be closely followed by the yorubas because history and blood unites them also, some of them have fulani heritage. the last but not the least, would be the SS (especially the ijaw) because they would become politically relevant after GJ's tenure. it would be WAZOVARE instead of WAZOBIA. why do you insist on committing political suicide? or do you think it would form any bond between you and the ss? NO it would not because the reason for the broken bond has not been addressed which is believed to be an "igbo domination agenda". they would not and never trust you. can you not see these things? has the SS ever supported you?

i dey laugh oooo!!!!

Sell whose birth right. So when I support GEJ from the same easter Region as my self is to sell my birth right?. Then when I support Atiku am not selling my birth right. Boy, you are a no brainer at all. You are not Igbo enough to understand Igbo political history. This your deliberate ploy to draw Ndigbo and Ijaws into hostilities here is uncalled for, stop it.

jason12345:

@ andre uweh

just to add,

has GJ built a single road in the east for the past 6 months? Why are you supporting GJ, is it because:

1) ohanaeze told you so?
2) because of a letter he wrote to ohaneze and ndigbo some yrs back?
3) because, all of a sudden his middle name is azikwe?
4) he has promised to develop the east?
5) to handover the presidency to an igbo man like some sought of military dictator?
6) he has done anything to improve the country without the masses knowing?
7) is not corrupt?
he is on facebook ?
9) because he is not a northerner?
10) simply because you BELIEVE he would do something for the COUNTRY and not just Ndigbo?

pls, let me know!

Has the regimes before him done anything to develop the east?. So why do you dicredit his 6 months tenure instead of those who were there for 8 years, etc?.
What is your problem?, that Ndigbo want to vote for a man from the old eastern region as them and you Jason a South-southerner says no. What a shame.

@OP

The author of the article is academically bankrupt. It is either he abstained from reading the Nigerian Constitution or did not understand the basic teaching of the codes. There is section of Nigeria constitution that has explicitly given the rigorous process of electing individuals into certain political offices in Federal Republic of Nigeria to the political parties. This noise-making of enshrining the principle of zoning into Nigerian constitution is mute and laughable.

Needless to remind the author that zoning principle in PDP is one political party affair. There are other parties that do not have zoning clause in their constitution. I suggest GEJ and his whining supporters are free to join other parties than PDP.

Andre Uweh:

Chinenye, use your senses here. What are your comments on what Mr Obi said?. If there are lies, puncture it than yawn. Mind you, you have never in the history of Nairaland started a thread before.

Why would I ever need to start a thread on NL? Anyway, I am using my sense, and my senses tell me to yawn. Basically, you and co. are just on repeat about the Igbo, Jonathan, presidency, Ohanaeze, politics, etc.; steadfastly springing up topics of that nature. It's tiring. It's stale, and I'm bored with it/you(plural). If you all don't see sense in steering clear from politics, and instead intend to lie in bed with it, in an effort to 'protect Igbo interests', then I don't know what else to say to you. Aside from that, you all are just being obnoxious and loud with it all; drawing too much attention to yourselves.

Dede1:

@OP

The author of the article is academically bankrupt. It is either he abstained from reading the Nigerian Constitution or did not understand the basic teaching of the codes. There is section of Nigeria constitution that has explicitly given the rigorous process of electing individuals into certain political offices in Federal Republic of Nigeria to the political parties. This noise-making of enshrining the principle of zoning into Nigerian constitution is mute and laughable.

Needless to remind the author that zoning principle in PDP is one political party affair. There are other parties that do not have zoning clause in their constitution. I suggest GEJ and his whining supporters are free to join other parties than PDP.

Mr academic,English is your mother tongue,ewu Congo.Has it entered your head before that if zoning is necessary,it can be enshrined in the constitution.Is the constitution not amendable to reflect the will and aspiration of the people.God is dealing with North period.Anuofia Cambridge!

@jason12345
you with identity crisis is saying Ndigbo are selling there birthright,you that once said pdp is a northern party knows wt's best for the igbos.To be honest i don't see you as a Nigerian,i know nl helped you know more about Nigeria but who are you to say we are selling our birthright when you know nothing about Nigerian politics.Saying Igbos are supporting Gj for SS bond beats me,what do we need that for.Anything that brings down the cabal up north is fine by most of us,if it's Gj so be it.They were planning the same when they made him Vp but like naija swag said God is dealing with the north period.

naija_swag:

Mr academic,English is your mother tongue,ewu Congo.Has it entered your head before that if zoning is necessary,it can be enshrined in the constitution.Is the constitution not amendable to reflect the will and aspiration of the people.God is dealing with North period.Anuofia Cambridge!

Mr Anugboko, the last time I check though, there are more than one political party in Nigeria. Zoning of political office in PDP is an exclusive political mechanism of the party. It remains a mystery while people still knock their heads over the zoning of political offices in PDP. If the PDP platform or manifesto is overbearing on few trolls, the door is wide open for such individuals to bolt. The whining is an indication of political shortsightedness and pursuit of political wellbeing based on greed and self-centeredness.

GEJ and the likes of you could join other political parties where such arrangement is determined by man-know-man, dog-eat-dog or free for all means. The way you sounded in your post, there is indication a political minnow such as you will not even survive in such environment.

You should be reminded that Nigerian constitution has more serious inalienable issues to tackle than enshrining zoning mechanism as a code.

ChinenyeN:

Why would I ever need to start a thread on NL? Anyway, I am using my sense, and my senses tell me to yawn. Basically, you and co. are just on repeat about the Igbo, Jonathan, presidency, Ohanaeze, politics, etc.; steadfastly springing up topics of that nature. It's tiring. It's stale, and I'm bored with it/you(plural). If you all don't see sense in steering clear from politics, and instead intend to lie in bed with it, in an effort to 'protect Igbo interests', then I don't know what else to say to you. Aside from that, you all are just being obnoxious and loud with it all; drawing too much attention to yourselves.

The above post is so irrelevant to the comment made by Sen. Obi. The post is tiring because it has to do with Igbo. Al the post flying here and there in politics section has not bored you at all, but this particular one does because GEJ and Ndigbo are concerned. Not long ago, there were so many post about Kidnappings in Abia state and no matter how numerous they were, it never bored you. Keep on displaying your hypocrisy here in the name of yawn.
Anyway, this thread is about comments made by Sen Obi, so if you have nothing to contribute, kindly disappear and forever do not come back to this thread.