The history of elections in Nigeria since the beginning of the current democratic experiment in 1999 shows that the Southeast is the most controversial zone when it comes to governorship elections. Within the Southeast itself, Anambra state is by far the state that generates the most of these controversies.
Close observers and political pundits have tried to explain why this is the case. There is the explanation that the general attitude of ‘Igbo enwe eze’ – the Igbo don’t have king, is what plays out whenever there is governorship election in Igbo land. The idea is that when everybody wants to become king and nobody wants to make concession or listen to the other person, the whole process is messed up sometimes leaving everybody as the loser.
However, some people feel that the first explanation is not a true representation of what happens in Igbo land during elections in particular and governorship election in general. Those in this second group feels that ‘Igbo enwe eze’ should not be seen as portraying Ndi Igbo to be anarchistic.
Before the advent of colonialism and the introduction of the current system of Eurocentric system of leadership, Ndi Igbo have their own ‘Ohanaeze’ system of leadership where every member of the community, including women and children contribute to leadership through councils of elders. People who were able to evolve this advanced type of leadership even before colonialism cannot be described as anarchistic.
This group therefore believes that the election crises that has been engulfing Igbo land since 1999 is not a consequence of the attitudes of Ndi Igbo but the result of the overbearing influence of external forces bent on destabilizing Igbo land.
The saga between the former governor of Anambra state and the present Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige and his Godfather then, Chris Uba and the case of Imo state, where Hope Uzudimma, who came fourth in the governorship race, was made governor by the Supreme Court were cited as handy examples of these external forces working to undo Ndi Igbo.
In approaching these two opinions it has to be pointed out that it is difficult to rule out the negative impact of lack of centralized Igbo voice to the current leadership crisis in Igbo land. Igbo land is not the only environment where external forces want to control. The fact that Ndi Igbo are most vulnerable to these forces is indicative that there is something in the nature of Igbo leadership that makes it more amenable to external influences.
Take for instance, in 1999, when late Chief Alex Ekweme ran for PDP presidential ticket against President Olusegun Obasanjo. Rumors abound that Obasanjo didn’t receive the buck of support from his Yoruba people. Obasanjo according to the received view got most of his support from the Northern king-maker-generals who wanted to compensate the Yoruba for the death of Abiola. Why this insinuation could be true, also true was that there were no myriad of the Yoruba in PDP out to truncate Obasanjo’s presidential ambition.
But this was not the case with Ekweme. There was particularly, Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the former governor of old Anambra state, who would not listen to all entreaties to step down for Dr. Ekweme.
This again goes to reinforce the claim that the attitude of ‘Igbo enwe eze’ has been one of the undoing of Ndi Igbo in Nigerian democracy. While the contention that the current crisis of leadership rocking Igbo land is the result of external forces cannot be writing off, there appears to be more evidence that the crisis is self-inflicted.
This brings us to the current controversies trailing the forthcoming Anambra state governorship election come 6th of November 2021 . There have been multiple primaries, more than one candidate claiming to be the authentic flag bearers of the major political parties and many ongoing court cases to resolve the controversies around the candidacy of these parties. What does this say about Ndi Igbo? Does it show a people who want to put their house in order in a Nigeria that is already chaotic?
The crisis in Anambra election is the microcosm of leadership crisis facing Igbo land and every true Igbo should be truly worried. There is leadership vacuum and every person seems to be pursuing his or her own personal ambition without thinking of the collective interest. In every race and time, people have always relied on the opinions of certain individuals for their collective survival. It is part and parcel of the human nature. No group can survive on the petal of individualism. Collective survival demands that every group of people, especially in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria, should have those they listen to. This is what Ndi Igbo need to survive and be relevant in Nigeria. Aggrieved politicians in Anambra state should sheet their swords. What is happening today in Anambra is what produced Hope in Imo and this must be avoided by all means.
