GOVERNOR UMAHI'S DEFT MOVES
Umahi makes a case for southeast president
POLITICS
Dave Umahi, Governor of Ebonyi State is already an accomplished engineer. He is establishing himself a political leader with foresight and acute acumen.
When he crossed over to All Progressives Party, (APC) sometime ago, a move predictable after the 2019 elections that revealed that the party performed poorest in the South East zone in the return of Muhammadu Buhari to Aso Rock, it was also expected that political leaders in the zone would seek rapprochement with the Centre. That was the legacy that Great Zik left for his followers. It never happened. Rather, the zone became most vociferous in its opposition to Buhari. A section of the elite even romanced Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) whose agenda is secession from Nigeria and the creation of a Republic of Biafra.
Umahi's deft political move did not endear him to the rest of the elite. The move saw him isolated as a pariah. Spirited moves were made to remove him from office. Only occasionally would one wonder who attracted more opprobrium between him and the only other elected APC Governor, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State in the South East.
2023 elections are approaching and a President will be elected. Buhari is constitutionally excluded. He is from the North, precisely North West Zone. By the force of logic and fair play; and our complex and unique political structure, the next president to be elected on the platform of APC should come from the South. The South East Zone that had never produced an elected President or Prime Minister since independence should have an advantage.
- There is however a dilemma. Political parties deploy all their arsenal to win elections. The post of president is special. Fair play and emotions are addressed only after the game has been won. That is now the predicament of the South East political leaders. PDP that it endorsed in 2019 elections and garnered over 80 percent of its presidential votes is not looking in the direction of the region in 2023 presidential election. As a matter of details, the party is not considering the entire South which houses eight out of its thirteen governors for the slot.
- Its compelling argument is that the South had produced two out of its elected presidents of recent. Another argument is that the North with its larger voting population is more attractive. A self-serving argument some will say. However, with the singular exception of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, the rest of the elected governors from the South, are as mute as a fish. None of the South East governors of Enugu and Abia elected on the platform of PDP is crying injustice.
- Ohaneze Ndigbo that has been pushing the agenda of an Igbo president (more precisely a president from South East) without a clear cut political strategy has now found one. David Umahi, a presidential ticket seeking candidate on the platform of APC is a man of the moment. The entire leadership of the zone, consisting of traditional, religious and political leaders recently queued behind him as he made the most coherent case for the zone regarding 2023 and the post of the president. The case was advanced before Buhari during his recent working visit to Ebonyi State.
The same Buhari that got only 403,968 votes as against 1,693,485 that Atiku his main opponent got in the South East at the last outing. Buhari listened as any politician of his experience would. He avoided what was politically a landmine. He promised nothing other than nebulous fair play. He hammered more on the security situation in the zone and parried the request for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, whose release the leaders canvassed would douse tensions.
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- As of now, PDP has not offered the South East the kind of opportunity that APC under the instrumentality of Buhari has given their leaders.
- Meanwhile, unless there is a unanimity between APC and PDP to zone the presidential slot to the South East Zone (a near impossibility), it will be electorally disastrous for APC to give its next presidential ticket to the zone where it performed most poorly in the last election. Governor Dave Umahi has a short time to change the narrative. If he fails to deliver, no one in the zone can blame him for not trying like many of his colleagues in the zone.
Sina Akande, a public affairs analyst writes from Jos