By the time this publication is serialized, the second Christmas since the coming of President Buhari would have come and gone with many still not knowing it was Christmas due to biting hardships and sufferings. Millions of people are angry, hungry and disillusioned but yet must be encouraged to keep hope alive.
As an individual, the last two weeks had been very distracting, hence I was unable to post any article raising the concern of readers on my wellbeing and the future of this column. I wish to apologize especially to those that buy Saturday Sun to read Total Politics.
During the period of my absence, some readers called to know my thoughts on OUK’s crossing over to APC. First, I think it is within Kalu’s right to belong to any political party of his choice. PDP had not been fair to him and APGA never sought for him. As a politician he needed a company.
Predictably, his defection raised concerns among South Easterners with many feeling betrayed and hurt because, so far, the South East enjoys a fractured relationship with Buhari and APC as a political party. The mindset of the average South Easterner is that no right thinking Igbo of note should be romancing with APC.
The Igbo quarrel with APC is not so much about the party, because all the parties are the same and only a means to an end, but very much with President Buhari’s attitude towards Ndigbo. If this attitude changes the attitude of the South East will change but if things remain the way they are, then a thousand OUK inside APC will not change the people’s resistance and rejection of the party.
Since President Mohammadu Buhari came to power, there has been a continued and sustained attempt to convert Nigerian political problems into armed conflicts. He has pursued a policy of collective punishment and intimidation to provoke Igbo into another violent civil war.
Unsuccessful attempts have been made by security agencies to frame IPOB as a terrorist organization, this is in spite of glaring evidence that IPOB is interested in pursuing its objectives in peaceful and political manner.
In the period within this administration, hundreds of unarmed Igbo youth have been arrested and detained without trial and many more have been executed extra-judicially, thus attracting the attention of the Amnesty International.
Under President Buhari, eastern Nigeria has become a military occupied region. He is building a new army brigade, the 61 brigade in port Harcourt, the number of police and military road blocks in eastern Nigeria has sky rocketed. All these to intimidate and frighten the people to give up the struggle for self-determination.
It is unbelievable that the government would withdraw soldiers fighting Islamic insurgents in the North-East and send them to eastern Nigeria to harass and intimidate peaceful people.
The state intimidation has extended to the Nigeria Customs abandoning Nigerian borders and entry points to now mount internal road blocks in all major access routes to the South-East extorting money and impounding personal belonging of Igbo, ranging from motor vehicles to bags of rice which they claim to be foreign and imported rice. Bags of rice of commuters travelling for the Yuletide are being seized by the customs. Between Ore to Onitsha, there are over 10 custom checkpoints subjecting the people to untold hardship and in pursuit of economic war and blockade against Igbo. The attitude of the President to the plight of Igbo suggests that Igbo are unwanted. I remind the government that the problem of Nigeria is not Igbo. Our problem is Boko Haram, which is fighting a jihad and committing unspeakable atrocities.
I saw the military Show of Force in Aba and I see no reason for it other than a crude attempt by a government, which wants to rule by force and a military that trains its soldiers in the most dehumanizing and barbaric of ways, which has no regard for human rights and democratic process.
While I recognize our people’s grudge against President Buhari, I will still caution that we avoid playing 100 per cent opposition politics no matter the temptation and provocation, hence I respect OUK’s decision to join APC.
I believe he didn’t join APC out of love for self. I knew it was a very difficult decision for him because I recall our conversation during the formation of APC, where despite my sympathy for the former President, I had encouraged him (OUK) to join APC because I didn’t see sufficient Igbo greats at the APC table. I felt it would hurt if APC wins and we are not there. He declined then. Now that he has joined APC I want to think he is motivated by the greater love of our people because, take or leave it, we are in a political wilderness which isn’t good for our people and their investments scattered all over the country.
While we struggle for justice and equity, we must accept that we are Nigerians, though by conscription and we must therefore never exempt ourselves from any gathering where the North and West are converged. I also consider it illogical for us to claim we are not getting our fair share from APC-led government when we are completely outside.
The complexity of Nigeria demands that no tribe should allow itself to play 100 per cent opposition. I therefore see nothing wrong in having our people, including OUK in APC.
For those vexed by this decision, I wish to say that history is a great teacher; that we are Nigerians though by conscription like every other tribe and that every Igbo, irrespective of the differences in our opinions, can pursue justice within the context of true federalism; that politics is not war; that we can’t afford the luxury of hate; that our greatest weapon against our oppressors is our tolerance and love for others; that in politics there are no permanent foes or friends; that we are not at war with APC, that we are an important part of the tripod holding Nigeria and must not exclude ourselves from any of the two major political parties; that our vote is our power; that if the dream is big enough the facts on the ground don’t matter:
If we avoid APC because we don’t want to be in the same party with Buhari, who will tell him of our love for justice and desire for freedom? Who will tell him about our pains; that the spirit of Biafra cannot be wished away except Nigeria is renegotiated; that political solutions to the Biafra question remains a more viable option; that repressive and brutal killings of defenseless protesters only strengthen the resolve for self-determination; that true federalism is feasible; that the military siege in the South-East will not resolve glaring injustice against the region? Who will tell him to reign in on the herdsmen; that his economic policy is killing trade and commerce; that Nigeria cannot afford over taxation of the common man; that you cannot borrow trillions to feed greedy politicians at the expense of the poor; who will tell him that any conviction against Kanu will not be acceptable because the judges are working to please him; that there is no alternative to the rule of law; that freedom of speech is the fulcrum of democracy; that the rule of law is a golden value in democracy and that power is transient and you cannot surround yourself with people from your village and want to be seen as president of the whole nation; that what is fair is fair.
I want to believe that OUK is in APC to represent Igbo interest and be our voice for justice. Otherwise, he is on his own.