After many years of being in the political doldrums, the business tycoon cum politician, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu has come out calling on President Buhari to informally or formally arrange for an Igbo President in 2019.
He was one of the leading Igbo politicians in earlier days but somehow had receded into a temporary oblivion and had abandoned the race for the Aso Villa to lesser politicians over the years.
He was one of the leading Igbo politicians in earlier days but somehow had receded into a temporary oblivion and had abandoned the race for the Aso Villa to lesser politicians over the years.
But coming out rather smoking and filled with spirit of a would- be presidential material he had appealed to the incumbent President Buhari to ensure that an Igbo president becomes a reality.
Among several issues he raised he wants the President to treat the IPOB matter with closer interest and that the catcalls for Biafra over the years was largely due to the inability of Igbos to ascend the Presidential throne in the country.
He also called on Mr. President to rise up to the Niger Delta issue so that the oil and crude producing areas could be peaceful for the exploration of Nigeria’s crude abroad to enhance the foreign exchange quota to improve the national economy.
Following the smart move by former Governor, Orji UjorKalu, to the APC may well be in the right direction for the Igbos to reach a consensus on how to arrive Aso Villa painlessly.
We know why Orji Kalu crossed from his own Peoples Progressive Alliance [PPA] after ruling Abia state under the platform of the PDP for eight years. He, too, is a clever and smart businessman and politician like Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
From the rally of events within the Igbo axis, with popular names like Jim Nwobodo and Ken Nnamani already in the APC fold, they should not find it difficult to bargain a landing slot for the Igbos in 2019 or there about.
I sincerely believe the Igbos deserve a place in the seat of power in Abuja but how united are all the Igbos whose pecuniary attachment to the sound of coins and dollar bills may drive them apart because of self- centred greed for sweet smell of crispy notes in different currencies of the world.
I sincerely believe the Igbos deserve a place in the seat of power in Abuja but how united are all the Igbos whose pecuniary attachment to the sound of coins and dollar bills may drive them apart because of self- centred greed for sweet smell of crispy notes in different currencies of the world.
Many had argued that the love for money and business deals will count them out of the race for the Presidency.
If northerners have had the presidency many times over under the jack-boot era and agbada era under late Yar’dua, and Obasanjo from the West and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from the southern minorities what is blocking the Igbos from winning a Presidential election since the days of Dr. Alex Ekwueme as Vice President to Alhaji Shehu Shagari?
Is politics not in their stars but the art of making billions as businessmen is their strongest fort?
If northerners have had the presidency many times over under the jack-boot era and agbada era under late Yar’dua, and Obasanjo from the West and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from the southern minorities what is blocking the Igbos from winning a Presidential election since the days of Dr. Alex Ekwueme as Vice President to Alhaji Shehu Shagari?
Is politics not in their stars but the art of making billions as businessmen is their strongest fort?
As Chief Iwuayanwu claimed that the Igbos have the largest demography in terms of population in the country, and if politics is a game of numbers, why have they not harnessed their population to win elections at the Federal level?
Do they lack the ability to manage their quiet wealth and population to win polls? Or they always engaged in ‘pull him down’ syndrome amongst themselves?
Igbos seem better placed to work in alliance with the Hausa Fulani Oligarchy as most prominent earlier politicians were born in the North- like Zik of Africa, who was born in Zungeru, and also Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, who has his maternal links from the North; and rumours also suggest that even Rochas Okorocha has maternal links in the North.
With such antecedents of prominent politicians of Igbo origin with close links with the North, why have they not tapped into their rich connections of yester years?
With such antecedents of prominent politicians of Igbo origin with close links with the North, why have they not tapped into their rich connections of yester years?
Apart from these isolated maternal links of top- flight Igbos being linked to the North, most of their flourishing businesses are based in the north like Zaria and Kano and Kaduna. To many earliest Igbos, Hausa language is something they are used to speaking and understanding.
Tell me where in Nigeria that Igbos are nor found in large populations- Lagos they own half of the glittering buildings and in Abuja they had cornered the plush portions of Asokoro area with palatial hotels and buildings. What they lack is organisational acumen so that they reduce the size of their presidential contenders when the bell tolls for their turn to come out and be counted.
Are Nigerians afraid that if an Igbo becomes President of Nigeria, there could be a possibility of them putting up the country for sale to the highest bidder abroad to their trading partners?
So many fears are on the minds of Nigerians, especially, coming on the wake of the 1967-70 civil war when Nigeria was almost torn apart to shreds because of late Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu’s secessionist bid which Nigerians all joined to fight against and called Ojukwu’s bluff.
So many fears are on the minds of Nigerians, especially, coming on the wake of the 1967-70 civil war when Nigeria was almost torn apart to shreds because of late Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu’s secessionist bid which Nigerians all joined to fight against and called Ojukwu’s bluff.
That endemic fear will take some more time for it to go away even after 40 plus years since the war. Let Igbos apologise for their collective error of judgment for waging a war against their country. Can we trust the Igbos for President in 2019 or later, just maybe. Give them a chance to prove themselves forty years after.
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