In support of Igbo senate president

By Dele Sobowale

Many of the planes asked to be relocated have been disabled for years. The owners of a few have died or fallen on hard luck and cannot possibly relocate them. Others are involved in court cases – with the aircraft as part of the dispute –and cannot be moved out of the courts’ jurisdiction by the party operating them. Obviously, this is an order made virtually in vain – unless FAAN wants to take the risk of moving them.

“The old world dying; the new world impossible to be born…” – Matthew Arnold, 1822-1888

To me, election 2023 is not yet over because the courts still have a lot to decide. At least one aspect of the new government is beyond dispute. The All Progressives Congress, APC, has such an overwhelming lead in the number of senators elected as to leave the matter of which party will hold the position of Senate President beyond reasonable doubt. An APC senator will lead the Senate during the tenth National Assembly, NASS. The only question left for our politicians to answer for us is: who should it be and why? Unless the courts decide otherwise, it would appear that we are stuck with a President from the South-West and a Vice President from the North-East. Buhari’s government had a North-West President and a South-West Vice President. Let me place my cards on the table – face-up; I strongly believe that selecting a Senate President from the South-East will seriously help to lower the political tension in the country.

I know that this appeal amounts to repeating myself; and the principal reason for advocating Igbo Senate President remains as valid as my call for the presidency over the years. According to the late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, 1929-1968, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic, nor popular, but, he must take it because conscience tells him that it is right.” Conscience and my instincts tell me that an Igbo Senate President will be in the national interest at this time.

Before going forward, I will strongly advise Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to avoid getting sucked into the issue by those trying to carry truckloads of senators to him. The Red Chamber of the NASS is where the action is and will be. In fact, any senator seeking the President’s endorsement has already signified that he is ready to make a deal to mortgage the Senate’s independence for personal benefit. The spectacle of the 41 senators, led like sheep, by one of them would have been funny – if not tragic. If Tinubu must know the truth, the next NASS will be the most divided and most difficult to manage by its President.

Some of the basis for hostilities will include the sharing of appointments – Ministers, Military Chiefs, INEC Chair, EFCC, Special Advisers, NNPC, Customs, NPA, NCC etc. He cannot rely on all APC senators to be happy with his decisions and people everywhere are more aware of the most lucrative posts. Those who feel cheated will no longer toe the line of the Senate President – unless he is their choice.

The tough decisions the President must make, not just on fuel subsidy, but also others, like downsizing the over-bloated Public Service, will affect different states differently. Increasingly, senators will have to take their state’s interests into consideration instead of following, sheep-like, any Senate President. Tinubu will have a mountain load of his own problems; he should not add antagonizing senators he did not favour by getting involved. What happened under Obasanjo should be a lesson to him.

Finally, Tinubu supporting a non-Igbo candidate will only confirm the views of those who already accuse him of being anti-Ndigbo. That would constitute a major setback for his need to unite the nation for the tasks ahead. As an economist, I can state authoritatively that we need Igbo domestic investment and Diaspora remittances to survive and grow as a nation.

That said; what are my reasons for, once again, supporting Igbo candidate for Senate President? For a start, the equity issue remains abiding; the South-East remains the only zone locked out of the major power positions – President, Vice President, Senate President and Speaker — at the Federal level since the Yar’Adua/ Jonathan/Sambo administration began. Every other zone had occupied one or the other of those highly-exalted positions – but not the Igbo. Inadvertently or premeditated, by the end of this month, four National Assemblies, NASS, would have passed into history; yet we have not been able to find one Igbo person who could hold any of those positions. Given the atrocious performance of all the former office holders from the other five zones, it would appear to me that an Igbo Senate President cannot do much worse. One saved us from Third Term Agenda. How, for instance, do you explain the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means debt accumulated with a Senate President in charge? How bad can things get?

Furthermore, this particular presidential election has generated a new kind of ethnic hatred and animosity different from any before it. Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari elections ended without creating ethnic tensions anywhere. But, this last one has left well-meaning Igbo and Yoruba leaders working to ensure that a lot of the violent language does not end up in real conflict. Whereas, every loser in all the other elections was aware that the courts would not decide the case for months to come, the unrealistic expectation in certain quarters that the presidency will or should remain vacant will certainly result in unforeseen and unknown consequences after May 29, 2023 –when it finally dawns on the young people that inauguration will take place as scheduled.

I am aware of the promises by the Armed Forces of Nigeria that they are equal to the task. Ordinarily, it would provide peace of mind if one can totally believe them. But, I am also aware that most Generals are always fighting the last war. The Nigerian top brass is prepared for massive crowds lurching towards Eagle Square. But, today, given technology, Eagle Square can be reached by people situated hundreds of miles away. And, as Virgil, 70-19 BC, has said, “Anger supplies the arms.” Even the most optimistic Nigerian must admit that there is a lot of anger in the land; and it takes just a few determined fanatics to cause a great deal of trouble. So, why not defuse one of the political landmines by creating an all-inclusive Federal Government with an Igbo Senate President? Precious peace would have been enhanced by taking one of the most volatile flashpoints out of contention.

Contrary to what most people might think, it is not an impossible task for well-meaning Nigerians. We don’t need all the senators to vote for the Igbo candidate – whoever they might decide among them to put forward. A majority of the senators voting is required to elect the President. There are 15 senators from the South-East. Hopefully, they will be sensible enough not to present two or three candidates – despite the fact that APGA, APC, LP and PDP are all there. The Tower of Babel syndrome should not blind them to the fact that the over-riding objective is to get an Igbo Senate President elected; instead of losing the chance to another zone. Grumbling after throwing away victory serves no purpose.

Now, 57 committed senators are needed; meaning that 42 votes must come from other ethnic groups. That is the point of this article. From the South-South, about 11 senators from at least eight different ethnic groups have emerged; South-West contributes 18 senators; North Central, 18 senators and about 15 ethnic groups; North-East has produced 18 senators hailing from 11 ethnic groups and North-West with 21 senators and three ethnic groups. The hunting grounds for support of Igbo Senate presidency are South-South, North-Central, North-East, SouthWest and North-West in that order. Incidentally, they can get two surprising votes from an unexpected place in the South-South and reduce the search to 40 votes.

I am appealing to all incoming senators to assist in bringing closure to the Civil War. For once, our elected representatives from all the other ethnic groups should embrace our Igbo brothers. I have no candidate and have not spoken to any of them. The choice is entirely up to our Distinguished Senators. I pray they will use this opportunity to bring us together.

Dele Sobowale is a Public Policy Analyst.