Much Ado about Ndigbo and APC

When a facebook friend of mine exhibited animal boldness by publishing a picture of Ohaneze members, accusing them of wrongdoing and “misleading” Ndigbo into voting against APC, I took it that the fellow was ignorant of the political behaviour of the Igbo man; that the Igbo man is free and broad-minded. I reckoned that he did not know that Ndigbo are characteristically republican and democratic. The Igbo man does not take instruction from godfathers. They do not believe in feudal lords or the “benevolent” godfathers who would deliberately keep his subjects in a perpetual state of indolence and sustain them with hand-outs in order to use them selfishly whenever the need arises. But when the supposed Igbo leaders of APC affiliation began to pay visit to the president-elect to make apologies on behalf of Ndigbo and beg for the left-over position of SGF, it became obvious that they are sponsored visit by the APC gang to justify their wicked contrivance against Ndigbo. I must state that those psychologically-dependant characters who would always try to justify every injustice done against Ndigbo in Nigeria in order for others to call them nationalists or detribalised Nigerians do not represent Ndigbo and have never.

It is indubitable that there have been so much din and fuss about Ndigbo not voting Buhari as if they have committed a crime. One newspaper columnist had written a piece entitled “Igbo Heroes of Change” in one of our national newspapers. That piece was a gratuitous insult on Ndigbo. Obviously, he sees the Igbo hero as one who does the bidding of others. To the writer, Ndigbo who supported APC are heroes while those who did not are not. Why did the writer not write Yoruba Heroes of Change or the Nigerian Heroes of Change? People say or write all kinds of trash about Ndigbo because it appears Ndigbo are too busy to give them appropriate riposte. You cannot do that against the Yorubas without attracting unsavoury response.

I have no problem with anybody visiting the president-elect on solidarity visit. It is expected. It is also normal for sycophants to flutter around the winner after all our people say that the goats will always follow the man who is carrying the palm frond. But nobody should go to lobby and grovel for the position of SGF on behalf of Ndigbo. Is that what the Ndigbo deserve? Why should anyone go to make obsequious request for a “tea-boy position” (apologies to Ikemba Nnewi of blessed memory)? It is preposterous, farcical and absurd to do that. Ohaneze should sanction those involved in this charade and show of shame. APC ab initio was against Ndigbo. The election had not taken place when their offices were zoned out and now they are shamelessly trying to justify their wicked plot. Ndigbo are winning elections and contributing to the growth of democracy globally and in the country they called their own they are being persecuted. This nonsense about marginalisation of Ndigbo must stop! Ndigbo must get the position of Senate President or nothing.

Ndigbo have done nothing unusual by voting according to their conscience. In fact many including me would have been disappointed if they have done otherwise. Other regions of Nigeria voted predictably along ethno-religious lines. Ndigbo did not commit political suicide. It is APC that has committed political suicide by excluding Ndigbo from positions of relevance in their party hierarchy. If they feel they can do without Ndigbo, Ndigbo must demonstrate accordingly that they can survive without APC.

Since 1999 till date, Ndigbo have always pitched their tent with PDP and not even APGA that is considered an Igbo party because they believed the PDP platform is truly national in content and in spatial structure. The Igbo man has no faith in the political patchwork called APC because from the onset, the party has no plan to accommodate the Igbo man and more especially because of the pedigree of the party’s presidential candidate. It is the right of Ndigbo; their inalienable right to vote the party of their choice, nobody can censure that. Why would the so-called democrats question their choice? I have said it before Ndigbo owe nobody, no APC, no Buhari any apology for voting the way they did. Given the same scenario, they will vote the same way over and over. Why should those who claim to be progressives fret about a peoples’ right to express their choice if not for nefarious reasons? Ndigbo opted for a platform that is national in outlook and best represents their interest and they are entitled to it, the result of the election notwithstanding.

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