As the 11 March governorship and state Assembly elections approach against the background of the Peter Obi’s victory in Lagos, I think it’s instructive to deconstruct a false narrative that seems to have gained traction over the years. It didn’t start with this election cycle but has been made more pronounced by the Obi impact on the 2023 polls.
It is the idea of Igbo votes, which suggests that the Igbo hold meetings to decide who to vote for. It creates an impression that their exists an Igbo political caucus that has to be approached to sway the people. This perhaps informs the thriving business of Eze Ndi Igbo titles springing up all over Lagos, and now extending to other parts of the country. Those are mostly failed internet scammers that have resorted to beads, red caps, birds feathers and oxtail paraphernalia to practice local OBT (Obtain By Trick). Their victims are unexpectedly naive and greedy politicians who are made to believe they truly control the Igbo population within any jurisdiction they carved for their fake kingdoms.
Back to the political calculus, the Igbo have been described from elementary history as Republicans, governed by family kinship and not by any authoritarian crown head. Responsible fathers or first male sons exert more influence on their family more than the traditional rulers who may deploy coercion to enforce rules but not choices.
The Igbo traditionally value service, valour and forthrightness above other attributes, not minding that there is the negligible minority who became corrupted by the quest for monetary riches. This get-rich-quick syndrome is however not limited to the Igbo in Nigeria of today and beyond, the reason crime is festering and getting more sophisticated.
All through the months, weeks and days leading to this election, I am not aware of, nor did I attend any meeting where the Igbo chose a candidate. I belong to my village (Umuneke) and town (Añara) Union meetings in Lagos and the physical and virtual platforms have a rule outlawing political discussions. So, where do the Igbo meet to discuss political choices?
In 2015 and 2019, the Lagos State administrations were duped into believing they could win over Igbo through these town unions and invited them for meetings under the aegis of Imo State Leaders of Thought. My wife attended once and laughed at the scam perpetrated by the promoters who sold the scheme to the Ambode Campaign Organisation in 2015 and that of Sanwo-Olu in 2019. Our brother, Joe Igbokwe, who was later appointed to supervise drainage evacuation was behind those gatherings.
In summary, candidates in Lagos should campaign to the Igbo as individuals, just as they may have been doing to the Esan people, Ijaw, Urhobo etc. Forget the notion of Igbo votes; it’s not an organised bloc but individual choices made by those who have been convinced by the same sentiments that unite them. It’s a self preservation dictate which makes them believe that an idea, a message or candidate best served their collective. Such were the case in 1999-2003 (PDP – Olusegun Obasanjo), 2003-2019 (PDP – Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Atiku Abubakar). Those were not Igbo, but they queued behind them. Today, it’s Obi, the very first time they’re backing an Igbo man. Remember, Udumegwu Ojukwu came before on APGA but didn’t resonate. In any case, Obi cannot be presented as an Igbo project seeing the spread of his electoral fortunes.
Igbo Enwe Eze (Igbos have no King).
Iwuala is a public affairs analyst, prolific sports marketing and communications expert
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9 March 2023 at 4:44 pm
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