The identity of the 2 Easts

One reason is that from several zones, may be with the exception of the politically dynamic North West, candidates to elective posts are to be returned unopposed in line with the PDP consensus option. To this end therefore, it may be that there will be no contest on several posts except on those that the […]

One reason is that from several zones, may be with the exception of the politically dynamic North West, candidates to elective posts are to be returned unopposed in line with the PDP consensus option. To this end therefore, it may be that there will be no contest on several posts except on those that the party big guys were unable to come up with conclusion.

At the highest level of today’s election is the chairmanship of the party which has been zoned to the North East geo-political zone, undoubtedly the nation’s weeping zone where all the major offices were denied them. Perhaps that may be why the plump position of party chairman was either willingly or otherwise zoned to the region.

In fact if any zone is shortchanged in this PDP abracadabra, it is the North East and its people, given the number of states that the party controls in the area vis a vis other regions. Apart from the North West which has 6 PDP states and the North Central and South South where the party has 5 states each under its control, the North East is the fourth ahead of the South East which have only three states and the South West where the party has been successfully routed by the ACN forces under the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

What the North East got out of PDP since May 2011 is nothing to write home about. They lost every position among the 4 presiding officers in the National Assembly and by the sheer brutality of the occupants of Aso Rock Villa, the region was denied even the position of either Senate or House Leader. The highest position the zone has are that of the Senate Deputy Leader and Chief Whip of the House of Representatives.

As far as voting strength is concerned, the 2010 voter register shows that the North East has the 3rd highest number of voters in the country outside of the North West and South West. Certainly without question, the North East region is in pains under this PDP leadership lopsidedness.

Now that the region is to produce the party’s national chairman, the cut-throat competition that we see from the aspirants and elites of the zone is anything than a true reflection of the character of the peoples of that part of Nigeria.

Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong with competent and capable Nigerians expressing their democratic right to aspire to any position within the confines of the laws of the land, but it is amazing that the level of congregation that we see in the race for the party chair does not reflect the rich character of the North East as a political contraption.

What we see today happening from the North East was the character of politics from the South East in the immediate past where everybody believed it has to be either him/her or nobody else. The last chairmanship election during the time of Umaru Yar’adua is ready example to give where every aspirant thought he was the best. The consensus politics of the party fell flat until the governors saved the situation by bringing on board Vincent Ogbulafor, who reigned until Yar’adua was indisposed and was removed by Goodluck Jonathan forces just because he upheld the party’s position on zoning of presidency to the North.

As at the last count, the number of aspirants from Adamawa, Borno and Bauchi states was more than 10 and nobody was willing to soft pedal for the other. Everyone is thinking that he is the best and cannot allow any other person. My worry here is that this is not the attitude of the people from the North East. What is responsible for this apparent drift to near anarchy where everyone feels and believe that it must be him or nobody else?

Does this have something to do with the loss of power that the zone and the North in general is suffering at the moment? To me this aggressive pursuit is not a sign of political advancement but a mere show of weakness on the part of people who ordinarily were seen by some of us as leaders. Is this cut throat competition an evidence of the continued loss of integrity which results in people aspiring for positions just because they want to eat at the disadvantage of others?

Yes! I have seen that several aspirants amongst them are capable and some old. I have no problem with age because it requires wisdom to get things done the right way in some instances but we are told by the minute and through the body language of state governors and those who live with those in power that  Bamanga Tukur, the 76-year-old father of Auwal, a very vibrant and dynamic young man who is a friend to many of us is favored by the powers-that-be.

Whether that is right or wrong, the concern of this piece is that the number of people seeking for the position of the PDP chair from the North East speaks volume about the level of degeneration in the politics of Northern Nigeria. The politicians of today have become more desperate for power and position as against what we know and what ought to be and in my view, it is not a good omen for this country and especially for the younger ones.

I see a good relationship between the North East and South East elites. They are uncompromising when it comes to the issue of access to positions of power and authority. They lack the trust for one another and the innate satisfaction and desire to turn opportunity into avenue for service. This is a crisis situation and an indictment of the elites from that zone.

While those who are favored emerge at the end of today, the PDP may not be a better platform than it has always been because the same old style is in force and it appears that the party  is hell-bent on continuing with the old order.

We are concerned because all Nigerians whether willfully or otherwise have been decapitated by this giant that has dragged the whole nation in the mud for quite a while. Nigeria is in pains and it does not appear that there will be any solution soon because the people are not prepared for change. The rulers will continue to take us for a ride and at anytime they will do as they wish.

The current contest for PDP national chairman has exposed a major weakness of the political class from the North East. It has brought out clearly the contours of similarities between the two easts in Nigeria. The self is more central to the elites in these zones than the rest of the people.

Despite the heavy loss that the President’s candidate, Bamanga Tukur has suffered from his North East delegates in Bauchi, he may still be forced on the party by presidential fiat. I am certainly not against my father, but I frown at any process that is not transparent.

May God save us from the hands of those who limit their understanding of us all to their personal and immediate selves. God save Nigeria.