OAM4J:

honestly i dont care about SW producing the Speaker for the house of rep. So I'll say let the SE have it, if it will make them happy.

J12:

What more can I say?

alj_harem:

according to what i have gotten so far, the SW do not want this position

hmmm, this more than a political betrayal for the SE but most importantly the nation

come to think of it, what about the promises he made to the nation, or is he going to betray us as well

OAM4J:

I will say it is a good lesson for SE. Let them protect their region 1st like the SW, this ultimately will lead to true federalism and a weaker center if every region does the same.

alj_harem:

Igbo after 2011 elections: What next?
By Orji Kalu [Okalu@orjikalu.com]
Saturday, May 14, 2011
I have known a long time ago that Nigerian politicians, no matter how you choose to look at them, are not yet grounded in the art of diplomatic and political fineness. They still play politics of the stomach and are not always ready to keep to promises reached. You could recall that before the 2011 elections, Igbo were in the forefront of the campaign for a Goodluck Jonathan Presidency. They threw their hat into the ring with so much confidence and faith that a Jonathan in Abuja would serve their interest best. They consulted widely and built bridges of friendship with other geopolitical zones in an effort to realize this lofty dream. They went a step further to bar any Igbo from contesting the presidency until 2015.

In difference to this collective call, I subsumed my own presidential ambition and supported it. Even though I had felt differently at the initial stage about the whole project, I chose not to play the spoiler’s role. For those who know me personally, I have always chosen a seemingly unpopular cause whenever issues of national consideration come to play. In this instance, I was a bit sceptical because of the outlandish approach our people adopted. They were a bit hasty and naïve. In truth, whenever any issue that concerns a people’s future crops up common sense and wisdom should take the centre-stage, rather than undue pandering to emotionalism.

And so Igbo queued behind their ‘son, brother, in-law, and kinsman.’ They stood stoically behind him and even attempted to disown whoever had a contrary view. Then came April 9, 2011 – all Igbo resident everywhere in Nigeria came out in their numbers to ensure that the dream came to reality. And truly it did. Their votes – running into millions in each of the five states that make up the South East geopolitical zone – gave the president the much needed respite to clinch a massive electoral victory. The whole place was agog with celebration – at least for the first time in the far-flung past somebody related to them would control the reins of power in Abuja.

But gradually that dream seems to be evaporating. Some other interests are beginning to undermine the collective expectation of Igbo, who have suffered unmerited chastisement since the war ended. Don’t mind the daily sing-song of ‘no victor, no vanquished,’ Igbo are still systematically and systemically ethnically cleansed. Who will convince me there is no secret agenda to continue to impoverish and degrade Igbo?
I am not amused by the ongoing intrigues to sideline Igbo again. Of the five key political positions up for grabs, none is suitable for an Igbo man or woman to occupy. I read a very disgusting story in one of the national dailies about the distribution of these offices, aided by the usual hanky-panky of a former president who has continually bestridden the corridors of Aso Rock as if he is still in power. He is said to have masterminded a secret plot to deny Igbo any of the positions that might lift them politically and economically.

If what I read is true, then the Igbo should bid farewell to their dream to reassert themselves more forcefully in the nation’s political life. I read that it has been agreed in principle by the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that while the Senate Presidency should go to the North Central geopolitical zone; the Speakership should be occupied by somebody from the South West; while the North East should get the party chairmanship position. As consolation the zone has been slated to be given the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). What this means, in concrete terms, is there is nothing substantial for the South East.

The question then is: where then lay all the toils of Igbo these past months? Why should Igbo be used as a pawn in the chessboard by politicians to actualise their selfish plans and dumped? I find this situation inexplicable, especially when I consider the pivotal role they have played in uniting and developing Nigeria.
Those who witnessed the enthusiasm of Igbo to vote in the last presidential election would see the desire of a people committed to positive change. They trooped out to make ‘one of their own’ president with the hope that it would benefit them. Some critics are already blaming Igbo for over-trustworthiness, while others see the decision to back South-South for the presidency without a formal agreement as the height of political naivety and amateurishness.

In any case, my thinking about the current subterranean moves to sidetrack Igbo from reaping the fruit of their labour is that there is a well-orchestrated plot to make Igbo more politically irrelevant. I have never believed that those who talk about courting the support of Igbo ever have any regard for them save for what they stand to benefit in the end. This attitude has always guided the way other tribes treat them. In every engagement with other ethnic groupings in the past Igbo had come out short-changed. Yet, they have learnt no lesson from their misadventures.

I still recall with deep pain the way Ohanaeze and other Igbo groups worked for the success of PDP in the last presidential election. They staked their hard-earned resources and reputation to ensure that Jonathan won. Analytically, there is no geo-political zone that voted for the president as holistically and sincerely as Igbo did. Should they, at all, go cap in hand begging to be given the speakership or Senate presidency as they currently do? Should anybody despise, cajole or humiliate them just because they are seeking some recognition in a nation their forbears laid down their lives to find?

I find it even more worrisome that nobody from other tribes has uttered a word in support of the genuine agitation of Igbo to be duly recognized in the sharing of key political offices in the land. Everybody seems to be satisfied with the ding-dong game playing out. Before the elections, Igbo were seen as the beautiful bride, with almost everybody that mattered seeking their support. They made all kinds of promises to them. For instance, they promised them the presidency in 2015. And naively Igbo believed them. How would it be possible for them to get the presidency in 2015 when they could not get even the speakership or Senate presidency in 2011? I think 2015 is a more complex matter than 2011. The emergence of Jonathan as president has upset whatever equation that had existed that would have produced a president of Igbo extraction in 2015. It would have been easier for Igbo to fight for the Presidency in 2015 if the result of 2011 presidential election had gone the other way. The interest of the North is already skewed towards 2015. The happenings around the country point to their desire to reclaim the presidency in 2015.

Perhaps, what Igbo should do, in the interim, is to rearticulate their strategies and see how they can redefine their collective aspiration as a people with a view to presenting a more united front in future. The present crop of leadership in the geopolitical zone lacks the dexterity and deftness required in such a sophisticated political game of survival. The type of leadership we require in Igbo land is one that is upstanding, focused and proactive. It is not the lax, lackadaisical, whimsical trumpeting of a few individuals who masquerade as messiahs when, in actual sense, they are a bunch of desperadoes and ideologues on a mission to satisfy their self-aggrandizement. Forget the Ohanaeze and its cohorts! They lack tact and diplomacy. In fact, they are responsible for the current quagmire Igbo have found themselves in. Imagine taking a people of a population of about 48 million on a wild-goose chase without any concrete subsisting agreement? Tufiakwa!               
I have often avoided the temptation of being drawn into unnecessary conflict with anybody or organisation. But I am forced to do so in this circumstance because of the buffoonery and chicanery of a few persons that have outlived their usefulness and yet have refused to quit the stage. Should Igbo, with their retinue of egg-heads and wealthy and rich sons and daughters, still allow themselves to be led by blind, visionless leaders? Our effort will pale into nothingness if we continue to live this way. Certainly, our forbears will be kicking in their graves when they see the insults being heaped on our people.

How did Igbo get themselves into this mess? This question has become necessary in order to be able to locate the crux of the matter. The problem dates back to the time of the great Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as ceremonial president. He devoted his time and energy to the unity of Nigeria and paid little attention to the welfare of his own people. This deviated sharply from the approach the sagacious Obafemi Awolowo adopted. The place of prominence Yoruba occupy in Nigeria is traceable to the visionary leadership Awo offered them.

I do not want to be misunderstood: Dr. Azikiwe was a great man, nationalistic and patriotic, but he was too trusting and pan-Nigerian.     
I am appalled by the way Igbo are being treated after the elections, having stood in the forefront of the campaign to elect Jonathan President. I am certain many Igbo feel the same way. The burden of the whole thing will rest squarely on Igbo leaders that championed the cause of Jonathan’s Presidency. How would they be seen by the majority of Igbo that trusted them and voted for Jonathan? In fact, it will be better for them to fight it out by ensuring that Igbo get one of the juicy national offices at stake. Anything in the contrary will not be acceptable to our people.

It is important at this juncture to dismiss some of the reasons being adduced for not zoning the senate presidency or speakership to the southeast geopolitical zone. One of the reasons is to balance the equation of power through religion. What is wrong if Christians occupy the positions of Speaker of the House of Representatives and president of the Senate? There are precedents. In 1979 Joseph Wayas was Senate President, while Edwin Ume-Ezeoke was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both are Christians. In 1993, Moshood Abiola, a Muslim, and Kingibe, a Muslim, were elected President and Vice President, respectively. In 2007, David Mark was elected Senate President and Ike Ekweremadu his deputy, while Patricia Etteh occupied the position of Speaker of House of Representatives. Three of them are Christians. Why then the lame argument about electing two Christians as Speaker and Senate President this time round?
I wish to associate myself with the agitation of Igbo to produce the Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is a fair and equitable demand, considering the pivotal role they played in stabilising the polity and ensuring the emergence of Jonathan as President. Let it be said anywhere that Jonathan probably would not have become President without the support of Igbo. This is why I expect the president to personally play out on their own. If he is apathetic, definitely, Igbo will lose out and it will not do any good to his image.

There is no doubt that the enemies of Igbo are at work to frustrate their dream. But the God who has always fought for them will not allow them to succeed. Their destiny lies in the hands of God who has brought them thus far. But Igbo themselves should rethink their role in the national life of Nigeria by being more assertive and diplomatic. They should avoid undue sentimentalism and view every issue with the seriousness it deserves. They should not be carried away by what they hear or see; rather they should consider every matter purely on its merit in line with the realities of the times.

Unlike Yoruba with a definite political identity, Igbo are like sheep without a shepherd. Since the death of the Great Zik, it has been everybody to his tent. Awolowo is dead long ago but his spirit still looms colossally among his people. They revere him even in death, and have never deviated from the principles for which he lived and died. “Awoism” has gradually become an integral part of the life of Yoruba. The 2011 elections brought out the best in Yoruba unity and political suaveness. With Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), they are better placed to negotiate political power. As for Igbo, they are just ‘follow-follow’ people, having traded their rights for a pot of porridge.

As stakeholders in the Igbo project, it behoves us to stand up and seek our rights. Generations unborn will not forgive us if we allowed our self-centred inclinations becloud our sense of reasoning to such a level as to lose our identity permanently. It is very instructive that these things are happening at this time of our national life. I remember how much I was vilified by my own people just for standing up to fight for what belonged to us. They called me all kinds of names, thinking that I had a personal agenda. Sincerely speaking, I feel deeply traumatised that we failed to grab precious opportunities that came our way in the past to make ourselves more respectable and visible in Nigeria’s political space.

It is not yet late. We can still redeem the situation by standing united and, in one accord, approach the president and other relevant personalities and argue our case objectively. I am, all the same, happy with the consciousness our people have displayed so far since the whole horse-trading and subterranean manoeuvrings started. Those who win battles are those who fight consistently and fearlessly.
There is no place for lily-livered, jaundiced leaders in the life of Igbo nation. Our people have been known for their bravery, sagacity and ingenuity.

A labourer is, indeed to his wages; and one good turn deserves another. I know Mr. President is listening. Let him do something fast before it becomes too late.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/columnists/kalu/2011/kalu-may-14-2011.htm

alj_harem:


It is not yet late. We can still redeem the situation by standing united and, in one accord, approach the president and other relevant personalities and argue our case objectively. I am, all the same, happy with the consciousness our people have displayed so far since the whole horse-trading and subterranean manoeuvrings started. Those who win battles are those who fight consistently and fearlessly.
There is no place for lily-livered, jaundiced leaders in the life of Igbo nation. Our people have been known for their bravery, sagacity and ingenuity. And this is the time to show it in large doses.

A labourer is, indeed, entitled to his wages; and one good turn deserves another. I know Mr. President is listening. Let him do something fast before it becomes too late.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/columnists/kalu/2011/kalu-may-14-2011.htm

~Bluetooth:

Even Kalu sef dey eulogise Awolowo ? I now see why ibos are frustrated.the thing pain them well well.

ROFLMAO

alj_harem:

hey don't bring tribalism to this topic

this issue is serious and a national issue

KenGali:

I believe we have argued our case before the president. Since power is ever taken and never given, it time to show him what we can do when neglected, insulted and underestimated.

SE support for GEJ is just a test of the Ijaws inclination. Since the guy loves SW so much, he will never do away with the culture of renegeding on agreements. There are sufficient backups to retrieve and re-impress our interest.

The North is still interested in fulfilling their zoned term, They will not only get that but almost all other juicy position. So learning from Authur Nzeribe, lets begin the process of making GEJ one of the shortest serving president in Nigeria. THe opportuniuties are limitless, and his backup will be in Shambless once we become its third leg.

More importantly, we need to boldly make the move of eliminating OBJ from the Board of trustees of PDP. Not just as a Chairman but as a member. We have referained from this for too long, and he seems to believe he is truly invincible and we too have been fuelling that belief by being docile. Its time to Horse Trade with the North.

~Bluetooth:

One region is looking for the downfall of another region and you call that ''national issue'' ?

Rhino.5dm:

Always talk talk sef. The bottom line an average Igbo man losses his senses in sight of ego.

They can never come as one cos MONEY is everything to them.

In sight of money the average Igbo man drops his conscience.
Their situation is a SAD one Indeed.

link=topic=667027.msg8317712#msg8317712 date=1305355837:

According to him, “Nigerians should recall that when Obasanjo was President from the South West, one of the other zones from the South produced the Senate President and that was the South East.

When Yar’Adua came from North West, one of the other two zones in the North, North Central produced the senate President. Now the President is from the South South, therefore the logical thing is for one of the two zones in the South to take the senate President.

“ The ideal zone to take it should have been the South East. The Speaker of the House of Reps would have then gone to the zone that is not producing the National Chairman in the North. However, Senator David Mark has performed creditable as the leader of the National Assembly and he needs to be there to give stability to the system”

alj_harem:

there is no one looking for the downfall of another

from what i can gather, you people (sw) do not support the current speaker seat being zone to u

if so, then the 4 reps from the sw should voice out the decision of the people

abi i dey lie

~Bluetooth:

Yoruba may be in opposition to the ruling party but yet the 4 reps that are pdp members are still pdp members and their small size may actually be more valuable than the bigness of the ibo.All in all,good or bad,pdp has zoned the speaker to SW and ibos should take the SGF.

Rhino.5dm:

The trick is don't EVER put your eggs in one basket.

They learn from North and SW.

E.g If Buhari wins. The No.2 man will be from SW while the north will have president.

If Ribadu wins. The No.2 man will br from SW. While the north have the president.

If GEJ wins. His god father is from SW. While the No.2 man is from north.

For North & SW, all the outcome will be winner winner situation.

THEY SHOULD ALWAYS PLAY FRIEND & FOE.

alj_harem:

Kengali, i don't think it has anything to do with sw

from what i can gather so far as the events are unfoiling

he (gej) was under pressure from the powerful north elite and SS (edwin clark) to put as SW person there

i also try to make th connection on when edwin paid a visit to SW and spoke on unity (punch newspaper sometimes 2months ago)

i think at the en of the day gej did  not betrayed but he is been controlled by like of obj ibb sultan and ciroma

this are powerful people that even the gej has to obey,.,, ,.,, ,, all this is still being investigated though

J12:

Orji is right. Igbo leaders as he stated, are weak. This is not about GEJ but Igbo leaders. The three PDP governors from the south east present during the meeting for the new zoning formula. The northern governors all agreed that zoning structure be maintained and the Igbo governors kept quiet. They didn't utter a word! They should be stoned.

alj_harem:

yes ok, it has been done

but it is pretty sad and disturbing that gej can do nothing about it

1.) it is either he does not have a mind of his own, thus can not voice out his decision

2.) he just betrayed


if 2 is the case, then the whole country should be rioting and voicing out

IF HE CAN DO IT TO THE SE, WHY CAN'T HE DO IT TO THE NORTH AND THE WHOLE COUNTRY

he has promised all sort of things, is he going to betray the country as well by looting our money

this is the reason i detest PDP

alj_harem:

but there must be reason why they did not voice out

a very good reason infact,.,.,. it may be either

1.) there is something better and juicer that they are going to get from gej

2.) they think they are playing smart so 2015, they can clarmour for the presidential seat


if 2 is the case, then i really think they have gotten it very wrong because nigerians are wiser now and would not vote for a person just because he is igbo/yoruba/hausa;,.,.

but if 1 is the case, then what is that thing they are waiting for

i think the picture wll be alot clearer when gej is sworn in

greateros:

Good for us!
We go hear nwii for GEJ hand! when i was preaching it to my people that Gen. Buhari's government will favour the igbos more than GEJ or any PDP government my people called me names! They went as far as calling me almajiri, efulefu and all other rubbish names!

I am a full born Igbo man with full traditional title in anambra state - what children will stand on roof top to see, i Ichie Aku-elo 1 gburugburu will see it squatting!

Based on past experiences and other situations suffered by the Igbos which i witnessed first hand, i arrived at a conclusion that Buhari's government will not only favour the igbos immensely, but will bring them closer to the Presidency come 2015! But ndigbo siri na nkita onwu ne gbu anaghi anu isi nsi!

now as it stands, Igbos will not smell the corridors of power in the next 30 years! Ohaneze and the igbos at large will so regret voting GEJ in the next four years!

Actually, for now i worry more about the security of life and property of my people resident in other part of the Nigerian states cause am 100% sure GEJ cannot guarantee that for them! Ndi igbo siri na onye aghobu ka agbaa! Ka chineke mezie okwu!

~Bluetooth:

Can't you see where Kalu described his fellow ibos as follow follow and naive when it comes to real politics.They sold themselves out cheaply,so the shittt is on them.Did Jonathan force them ?