For every decision or action one undertakes in life there’s a reason. However, what I am yet to understand at this moment is the reason why we, Ndi Igbo, have decided to put all our eggs in one basket during the presidential election.
After the presidential election and the collation of the results from 36 states and the FCT that reality began to dawn on Ndi Igbo. While other regions were busy celebrating the results of the presidential poll, we all bowed our heads in shame not because our preferred presidential candidate lost, but because we realized very late we had shot ourselves in the foot.
In our desperation to re-elect President Jonathan we’ve lost our common sense. Even when the odds against him became glaringly obvious, we allowed the sentiments to overrule our conscience without thinking of the consequences. We have lost out entirely.
After May 29 handover, when the 8th parliament will be inaugurated, we won’t have any of our elected senators on the platform of the APC emerging as the majority party in the upper chamber.
There’s no ethnic group that was not represented in the outgoing PDP-led government. However, it didn’t prevent the people from other regions, that had benefited from the PDP-led government even more, from voting against their people in other political parties that would represent them at the centre.
Here, in the southaest, the PDP is seen as a mini god. Anyone against the PDP is seen as an outcast. We’ve taken that mindset to the presidential election. We knew in some places the PDP would lose, and we manipulated the results in favour of the PDP candidates.
That is the only reason why such outspoken and charismatic senator as Dr Chris Ngige of the APC, with a proven track record of performance, has lost his re-election to the Senate.
The APC has won the majoriry of the seats in their strongholds in the northern and western parts of the country. However, it didn’t prevent the electorate in those regions from electing or re-electing some of their legislatures on the platform of the PDP.
Other ethnic groups have taught us a great lesson. It’s not all about party, it’s about choice and interest. That’s why in some cases they’ve looked beyond ethnic, religious and party affiliations to vote for their choices. However, in our own case we’ve voted every individual of the PDP not because they are our choices, but because they are in the ruling party.
Our precipitous actions have disqualified us from contesting for the Senate, presidency and the speaker of the House of Reps including their deputies. It would be extremely painful watching helplessly what we could have contested unopposed by other regions. We have lost it and may not get it again till 2019 because of our own selfish and parochial interests.
There is a question I have been asking my fellow Ndi Igbo. Now we have lost out in all elections at the federal level under the APC. How are we going to cope with the APC-led government we’ve never supported and haven’t even hidden our hatred during the campaigns?
When Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Igbo sociocultural group claiming to represent the interests of Ndi Igbo, endorsed President Jonathan for another term, I asked what was the moral justification behind it if not some personal gains? Had Ohaneze Ndigbo considered their members in other political parties before they endorsed President Jonathan as their presidential candidate? We all know the endorsement never comes without a reward.
Ohaneze Ndi Igbo has recently been functional during general election battling with credibility problems as a result of its meddlesomeness in politics. However, its endorsement of President Jonathan and his failure at the poll have stripped Ohaneze Ndi Igbo of the remaining credibility.
We have also refused to learn from history. The adopted political parties have won other elective posts in the strongholds of some of the political parties endorsing them many times. After adopting President Jonathan as its presidential candidate for re-election, the APGA, even being the ruling party in Anambra state, could not win a single seat out of 3 senatorial seats in the state. Now it is protesting against being rigged out of the 3 senatorial seats by the ruling party whose presidential candidate it has endorsed.
Those narrow-minded among us have realized the cost of putting all their eggs in one basket, but its already too late to make amends. We are like the proverbial mother that poured out the bath water on the baby.
Think of many federal projects Igbo senate president would have attracted to the eastern region. I mean, the visit to Enugu West and its environ would convince you that if the present deputy president of the Senate had attracted such federal presence in his state, Igbo senate president under the APC would have done more for the southeastern region.
Putting all our eggs in one basket have taught us a great lesson. While we continue paying the price of our costly mistake, the pains of ignorantly rejecting what could have been offered to us on a platter of gold will continue to hunt and hurt us till 2019.
There is no question about my people being very resourceful and productive, but we lack political leadership. We may have astute political players, but there is no mentoring, no structure and therefore no political future. The maximum we can achieve politically is that others will concede to us, but not what we deserve by virtue of strategic thinking and alliance.
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