By Steve Osuji
The President and his party are obviously in a frenzy. The next election in 2027 seems like a last battle for them. The passcode in the country today which gives them away is ‘support Tinubu.’ It’s as if the president is an invalid on crutches needing support. No official speech ends without a word for President Tinubu; every government activity dovetails into a subtle campaign for reelection of President Bola Tinubu. The desperation, or shall we say, trepidation, by the ruling party over the 2027 general elections is so intense one wonders if anything else is attended to by this government.
THE GREAT RUNNING DOG: The latest signpost was raised in Enugu, Enugu State capital two days ago where Works Minister, Mr. Dave Umahi corralled a few former governors of the southeast into the Support Tinubu Orchestra.
Note that Mr Umahi who ruled Ebonyi State like an emperor is President Tinubu’s Man Friday and running dog. Since he was handed (some cynics say he procured it) the highly coveted Works Ministry, Mr Umahi has been over the moon.
Let’s be fair. He gets jobs done. At least by the standards of a highly deficient and corrupt country where public officials think of little else than raiding public treasury.
Umahi manages to deliver a bit of results even though at pernicious costs. For instance, imagine the malfeasance of awarding a fifteen trillion naira contract without a public bid. Umahi woke up one dawn and proudly announced to a yet sleepy nation that he had awarded what’s probably the largest single infrastructure contract in subsahara Africa to a two-bit firm in which Nigeria’s first family has ample beneficial interest.
Such is Umahi’s persona and barbarian frame of mind. He seems to have no qualms about good or bad, and right and wrong. Indeed, he seems not to know the difference between the twain.
Therefore, as Works Minister, the man sitting on the hugest annual budget in the land, Umahi has let himself loose on his hapless geopolitical zone in the last three years. He has run roughshod on Igboland and her people like a slave master. He seems intent on recolonising Ndigbo for the interest of his master, Tinubu. He also has his bleary eyes on the presidency.
At every opportunity, he berates Ndigbo, mocks them and talks down at them as if they were bonded slaves in Nigeria.
Evidently, Igbo are kept in the fringes and margins of federal affairs in Nigeria since the end of the civil war in 1970. While this tribal exclusion has heightened since the advent of the APC in 2015, it has risen to genocidal proportions since the coming of Tinubu in 2023. But Umahi in his daily Igbo harangue would tell them Tinubu is the best thing to have happened to them.
UMAHI’S ATILOGU DANCE TROUPE: Umahi’s latest scheme for his master, Tinubu, is to herd former governors of the Southeast into a group. He calls it Southeast Former Governors’ Forum (SFGF); they are supposed to help further the cause of the zone but in reality, they are Umahi’s new Atilogu Dance Troupe to entertain Umahi’s lord and master, Tinubu. They are to help Tinubu win the hearts and votes of Ndigbo.
He founded the group in his domain, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State a few days ago, hosted it, christened it, led the discussion and read their communique! It was an Umahi show. We may have to reformat the group as the Umahi Southeast Front.
UMAHI SOUTHEAST FRONT: A HOUSE DIVIDED: The so-called former governors forum seems actually flawed and divided from the outset. Many former governors can already see through the Umahi scheme and they ducked. Only a few tired, jobless and hounded former governors attended. Present were Pa Martin Elechi, Umahi’s predecessor. He is 85. Old, frail and on support. Standing their during Umahi’s press show, it was apparent Papa Elechi would rather be left alone. For a man Umahi practically shoved out of the Government House with ignominy, Papa Elechi was dragged to the meeting, we wager.
Also present were the duo of Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Their tenures in Enugu had little signature or signage. Their tenures and natures were in character but without significant character. They stood there in the Umahi line up like the stooges they are, morbidly alife.
There’s Okezie Ikpeazu too, Abia’s albatross. And Chris Ngige of Anambra who seems like the odd man out considering his glittering tenure and his stature as Igbo leader.
THE NGIGE TREATMENT:
But Ngige joining Umahi’s Tinubu orchestra must be seen from the light of trying to save his head (and of course, his rich, silky beards which he seems to treasure and nurture in an especial way).
Recall that Ngige who’s member of late President Muhammadu Buhari political school has been lukewarm and aloof in the Tinubu era. Just like all the core Buhari men, they were never integrated into the Tinubu camp.
A few weeks ago, Tinubu’s Pit Bulls, EFCC gave Ngige a bit of a run-around when they dusted up an old file of his. Before you could say Onwa, the 73-year old had been flung into Kuje prisons for about one week. Before this, he had earlier been shot at by purported armed robbers. All these were apparently to have Ngige’s brain reset to join the Tinubu Orchestra.
IT WAS A NO-SHOW: Umahi’s scheme to rally former southeast governors was a flop. Though he tried to explain why many supposed members failed to attend – he said many were on medical trips abroad. (We say shame on them for not building hospitals and health systems in Nigeria that are good enough to afford them good health care in Nigeria.)
Only six out of about sixteen former governors answered the call. Let’s say most of the others boycotted Umahi’s call. It’s because they could see through Umahi’s disguise and dark agenda. Nobody trusts him.
Though he claims the body would work with the incumbents to drive development in the zone, everyone knows this is a blatant lie. Umahi simple wants to hijack the leadership of the Southeast for himself and his master in Aso Rock.
Why is the Southeast Governors’ Forum not functioning? All the southeast governors have been bought over by Tinubu. Even the so-called Southeast Development Commission is a Tinubu ruse just like most of his activities.
In one breath, Umahi said the body is nonpartisan and in another he says: “The Forum expressed support for President Bola Tinubu, applauding his administration for the appointments, some of them key, to the sons and daughters of the Southeast and for the infrastructure revolution in our zone.” He never names one project!
IGBO MARGINALISATION ALL THE WAY: There’s nothing Umahi and his master can do to win Igbo heart or vote. Igbo dislike for APC is mutual and total. The simple reason is that APC has an unwritten policy to put Ndigbo down and reduce them to second class citizens in Nigeria.
Just a few examples will suffice: it’s only the southeast that has no international airport in it’s zone even though the people probably travel the most. Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu which was delivered during the PDP days has been virtually damaged and localised by APC. Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, completely built and delivered by the Imo people is only used for annual airlift of pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem. Why isn’t it used for commercial cargo businesses for which it was built? Igbo marginalisation. Rail lines are active in the West, Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, even on to Niger Republic. There’s none in the southeast.
Southeast has the largest gas reserve. But the gas is piped and used industrially in other zones but the southeast. AKK, the multi billion naira gas pipeline project is to take gas from the south up to Kaduna and Kano!
Seaports would not be developed in the southeast despite the hue and cry. Instead congested Lagos ports are being expanded. It is worse with Federal appointments. If it were in Tinubu’s powers, he would give the southeast zero appointments. Yet Umahi would heap coal on the injury of Ndigbo by telling them Tinubu is the best thing that happened to them.
In a nutshell, the pains of Igbo people are deep and Umahi’s antics only aggravate it.
LAST LINE: ADC VERSUS INEC: AMUPITAN WAS ALWAYS A MARIONETTE
Only a simpleton expected anything of value from Prof. Joash Amupitan’s INEC. Not in the least, this column. The reasons are plenty but let’s make do with just a few.
First, AMUPITAN was an APC lawyer, though a fringe one.
Two, he’s a buddy of die-hard Tinubu boys (yes boys!) like Babatunde Ogalla, SAN, (APC legal chief) and Abiodun Faleke with whom he’s from the same LGA.
Three, his CV and career trajectory don’t quite add up. Some lacunae are open and gapping and Nigerians inexplicably accepted it.
Finally his visage presents a fellow with seeming integrity deficiency.
Amupitan was always a marionette briefed and programmed for afore-written outcomes. Unfortunately, in APC’s desperation he showed his hands too early thus the current mistake. He got stampeded.
Even this column can fathom clearly, what ‘status quo ante-bellum’ means in this instance. It simply means don’t disrupt the matter until the court has spoken. But Amupitan, supposedly a professor of Law and a senior advocate, did the direct opposite of the court’s ruling. He didn’t only pour petrol in the matter, he knowingly and roguishly decided to barred Nigeria’s only opposition party from participating in the 2027 elections.
Here’s the test for Amupitan roguery: if the court eventually rules in favour of the ADC he suspended, but the election timetable has lapsed, would Amupitan change the election rules or the hand of the clock to bring ADC back into contention?
We wager that Amupitan is on a mission to kill the only opposition party left. Shocking!
