By Casmir Echebiri
Many Southerners perceive the North as being greedy for power. They accuse them of loving and desiring to hold power in perpetuity. To them, if you leave them alone they would grab presidency, Senate President and Representatives Speaker and keep them to themselves.
And even with those three in their kitty the same North wouldn’t mind grabbing the judiciary also. The reality before us seems to support the blame. The North seem obsessed with power. They seem to see it as gift from God, without which they will perish.
President Muhammadu Buhari is a Northerner and will be completing his eight years as approved by law next year. Being a Northerner the South and other well meaning Nigerians have argued that power should shift to South. However, his kinsmen seem not to be interested in the argument. Rather,they seem bent on power remaining in their region. Today, some of them are seriously contesting the presidential tickets of APC and PDP.
Therefore, the accusing finger being pointed at the region to some extent, is true. But, then the question is: why is the North almost always better positioned at the threshold of sensitive national offices? Why do they always appear better qualified and mostly dominate the pool from which leaders are chosen?
The North enjoys that comparative and competitive edge in national leadership recruitment because of the brand of politics it plays. It is called strategic politicking. Another name for it is collective or public interest politicking. It is diametrically opposed to selfish, individual politics that dominate South East.
There, if you wish to contest election you must first convince yourself that you are coming to serve your people.Also, when political parties throw up candidates for election, stakeholders sit down and look at the candidates and settle for the best. If they do that, the election is won and lost even before its conduct.
These “selected” representatives so to say, enjoy enormous support from their people while in office, even when they may not be performing so well. They do that not because they are madly in love with those office holders, but, because they are best positioned to better serve their collective interest at the national stage.That is what can correctly be terned keeping ones peeled at the bigger national picture!
Can you compare that to the largely selfish, parochial “one man politics” of South East? Since nobody cares to take responsibility people just wake up and start seeking elective offices, even when it’s obvious they are going there to serve themselves, and not the people. The unregulated system we practice here is mainly reason ill prepared and outrightly incompetent fellows emerge as leaders. And has remained one cause of poor leadership that has bedevilled the zone at all levels in the present republic.
But, the region has borne the brunt more at the national level, particularly at the National Assembly these past two decades. Despite the very well known clout National Assembly wields in the ruler ship of the nation, South East has serially been an ordinary floor member there.
The most saddening part of the issue that this fate it suffers is self inflicted. It is the inevitable consequence of sending inexperienced neophytes to its hallowed chambers every four years. That is to say we open doors for our marginalization and quickly turn round to shout that South East is not getting its fair share of the national cake. Is it not said that as you make your bed, so you sleep on it?
By law and origin legislative leadership is not given but earned. You get it by ranking and experience. So,any zone desirous of producing its principal officer(s) must boast of ranking lawmakers. If not, even if a principal office is initially zoned to it, it must be taken away and handed to those who merit it, even if they are all from one state!
That explains why between 2011 to 2015 Imo had the privilege of having two principal officers in the House of Representatives. Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha was Deputy Speaker, while Rt Hon Bethel Amadi presided the Pan African Parliament, PAP.
That opportunity yielded bountifully for all stakeholders including professionals like journalists. Rt Hon Bethel Amadi ferried them from time to time to South Africa to cover proceedings of PAP.
Many have harped on the urgent need to bring back that golden era of representation. Similarly, it has variously been argued that 2023 is the most auspicious time to take that step of faith.
The idea has been canvassed too that by virtue of its demonstrable contribution to promotion of Igbo political interests, the PDP ought to champion that recovery agenda.
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The party has what it takes to do that. And so all eyes are on it to kick start the process by handing its tickets to those whose tenures post 2023 can reenact Rt Hons Ihedioha and Amadi mercurial representation. Based on the time honoured rules of the legislature, it is an open secret it is only aspirants seeking reelection the embody such prospects.
This, however, is not to say one is advocating free for all jamboree. No way. There should be conditions precedent for bestowing such privilege. Good performance scorecard in the previous assembly naturally should top the list .If an aspirant for reelection has been verified and found fit, such person deserve to be patted on the back with re election ticket.
The good news here is Imo PDP parades some high flying lawmakers. Senator Onyewuchi has been nationally and locally certified a performer. Mention must be made also of Hons Ikenna Elezieanya and Bede Eke.
Senator Onyewuchi has so excelled that many have openly urged his party to reward his laudable representation with a return ticket.
With a strategic leadership led by Engr Charles Ugwu in place there is every reason to think it will take a look at that logical thought because its huge potentials.Fielding people like him would make campaigns easy and brighten electoral victory chances for PDP.
But, even a more tantalizing prospect is the possibility of his clinching Senate President or the Deputy President. So, like the North Imo PDP should think smart and play strategically next year, as doing that would benefit them,party members, Imolites and Ndi Igbo in general.
