Post-Jonathan South-east and PDP
With the outcome of the general election in the South-east, the zone seems to have sent out a clear message that it feels more comfortable remaining in the outgoing ruling party, but how well would the people fare in the unfamiliar terrain of opposition p
Before the last general election, the All Progressives Congress literally took over the political landscape with its “Change” mantra. The party engaged in vigorous campaigns, which by the end of the elections, eventually swept the rug off the feet of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Not only did the PDP lose the presidency, which it has occupied since the almost 16 years of the Fourth Republic. It also lost control of the two chambers of the National Assembly – the Senate and House of Representatives.
However, while the political tsunami successfully swept through the Northeast, North-west, North-central, and South-west, the remaining two zones of South-east and South-south remained impregnable. Though, the situation has seemed to leave the two zones in the political wilderness, considering the poor performance of the incoming ruling party in the area, the people of the South-east, for instance, have deciced to take their destiny in their hands.
PDP Zone
Before the commencement of the elections, the PDP was in firm control of three out of the five states of the South-east, namely, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu, while APGA and APC controlled Anambra and Imo states. However, in the Senate and House of Representatives, PDP still maintained serious presence in the two states where other parties had the governorship. In Anambra, for instance, PDP had two out of the three senate seats, while in Imo the party had the three senate seats.
In the House of Representatives, while the PDP had total control of all the seats in Abia, Enugu, it shared positions in Imo and Anambra with APC and APGA, while APC had a single seat in Ebonyi State.
But at the end of the last elections, PDP literally swept the polls in the five states, clinching the available 15 senate seats, from the initial 14, and also clearing all but two House of Representatives seats in the zone. It also retained the governorship of Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states, despite pre-election predictions that did not favour the ruling party in Ebonyi.
Skillful Manoeuvre
PDP’s victory in the zone, certainly, did not come easy. The party’s leadership in the zone, under the national vice chairman, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), engaged in massive campaigns across the zone. Akobundu and his officials were said to have ensured they resolved most of the issues that had been the major challenges of the party in the zone.
A chieftain of PDP in the South-east, Chief Edwin Uzor, said, “As you can see, the change mantra had no effect in the South-east because our leader, Akobundu, worked so closely with our governors, federal, and state lawmakers in the build up to the election. This made it possible for them to address some critical issues that had worked against us in the past. For instance, apart from Anambra, where we still had pockets of issues to be addressed, the party was able to resolve issues in Enugu and Abia states. Ebonyi was not a problem per se, because we had a situation where a few people wanted to lord it over the majority but we did not waver. That’s why we still cleared all the
available positions there.”
Restructuring
A pro-democracy activist and founder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Elliot Uko, justified the decision of the Igbo of the South-east to remain with PDP. He expressed dismay at the attacks on the people from some quarters due to the political decision they took, saying the one way direction is a reflection of the people’s conviction on the restructur- ing of Nigeria.
According to Uko, “They mocked Ndigbo to no end, assuring us that the South-east has surely lost out completely in National Assembly leadership.
“Many assured us we will be sidelined, oppressed and afflicted. All expected Ndigbo to switch sides and pursue solely political accommodation of any sort without convictions. What a great pity! Surprisingly, so many pretended they have conveniently forgotten where Ndigbo stand in the debate for a successful Nigeria. Ndigbo stand for a restructured Nigeria anchored on true federalism, based on regional autonomy.
“They told the world so 48 years ago at Aburi, Ghana, they echoed it at General Sani Abacha’s constitutional conference 20 years ago. They reaffirmed it at the 2014 national conference, because we truly want Nigeria to survive. Our vote pattern is synonymous with our conviction; that only true federalism will take us to the Promised Land.
“Yes, we all know that the political class is dominated by hypocrites and crass opportunists, who will defect and join Boko Haram tomorrow if (God forbid) Abubaker Shekau seizes central power tomorrow. These politicians who do not believe in anything except their pockets will shamelessly and gleefully announce that Abubaker Shekau is the saviour Nigeria needs, just like they did 17 years ago at the two-million-man rally in Abuja.”
Uko said, “Ndigbo believe in a restructured Nigeria, where no man is oppressed, where the unjust containment of Ndigbo in five states is removed, where all are equal, where no section is born to rule. Mocking us, abusing us and telling us we will be punished by the next government, probably, vindicates our vote pattern and reminds the younger generation of the task to sustain the struggle for freedom from internal domination.”
Resilience
Despite their obviously disadvantaged position in the incoming political dispensation, PDP leaders in the South-east, led by Akobundu, have rather continued to celebrate what they insist is a victory instead of loss. They also rule out any possible plan to dump the party for any other.
Akobundu told THISDAY that the zone remained proud to have voted massively for the ruling party. He thanked all members of PDP, including the governors, stakeholders and the people of the zone, for working tirelessly and voting massively for the party during the last elections.
While promising the people that they will deliver all the goodies that are due to the zone through negotiation, Akobundu said, “Everything that we need to do to deliver the goodies that our people deserve in the zone, we can bring through a very solid platform of negotiation. We will do that as a zone and as a party.”
Implications
With the present state of affairs, political watchers are concerned about the implications the opposition status of the zone will have for the people in the emerging administration. While some applaud the people’s steadfastness in the outgoing ruling party, others are of the view that they would ultimately regret “putting their eggs in one basket.”
A university don, Dr Ifenkwe Onyechere, said there was nothing wrong with the South-east possibly missing out in the scheme of things in the next dispensation. He explained that aside occupying the presidency in a democracy, the Igbo people of Nigeria already occupied strategic positions in the past without much to show for it.
Onyechere said, “In 1979, we had the vice presidency in Dr Alex Ekwueme. In 1999, all the five states of the zone produced a senate president until 2007. From 2007 till today, we have the deputy senate president and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. We have Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and other strategic ministerial positions, but what do we have to show for it? Nothing.”
He said what the people needed to do at the moment was to engage in sober reflection.
However, a public affairs analyst, Hon. Chukwunonye Okereke, said it was neither a win nor a loss for the people of the zone, nothing that the outcome of the 2015 elections simply shows that power belongs to the people.
“Instead of lamenting, the PDP should engage in sober reflection. Engaging in any form of acrimony at this point is not in our interest. The good thing is that we still have enough number of governors that would help in rebuilding the party. Now, the party has to slow down the speed gear a look inwards. In the past, we’ve had such issue as imposition and it never helped out. Today, if you refuse to give the popular person the ticket, he will just go to another party and defeat you, we saw it in Gemade and Ortom,” Okereke said.
No doubt, the decision of the people of the South-east to remain in PDP, despite the wind of change blowing across the country, speaks volumes for their political direction, but the implications will become clearer in the coming days as President-elect Muhammadu Buhari prepares to assume office on May 29.