Two Prominent Igbo Sons Give The Presidency To Tinubu

By Charles Igbo

Senator Chimaroke Nnamani: Tinubu, City Boy, is a winner

General Azubuike Ihejirika: After Buhari, another President, most likely from the South-west will take over

Two prominent Igbo sons have said that the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will win the Presidential election in 2023.

In hard-biting posts in a space of 48 hours, they asked the Igbo to prepare themselves for a Tinubu Presidency.

In their separate posts a PDP Senator, former two-term Governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, and General Azubuike Ihejirika, the first Igbo to be appointed Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff since after the Civil War, lamented the position of the Igbo in National politics, but were quick to say “It is self-inflicted.”

In his post titled Foolish Is Not Igbo,  Ihejirika chided Igbo elders and the elite for misleading those who ought to look up to them, especially, the youths.

He said: ” You can hear some highly placed Igbo leaders/opposition politicians shouting loud and clear that only the South-East has not produced a President since 1999 while all other zones have done so, and that this is injustice and inequity against Igbos and that Nigeria cannot survive without justice and equity.

“That’s like insulting the sensibilities of other members of the Nigerian space, as well as issuing a threat. And those leading this chorus are well educated, very knowledgeable and internationally exposed persons who the less educated and ignorant masses look up to for facts and guidance.

“When the base human emotions, the animal human nature, takes over, intellect and enlightenment is relegated. Such brazen lies are told to whip up rash emotions and victimhood mindset which lead to dishing out insults, abuses and hate speech against some other members of the Nigerian space.

“You cannot win the free-will votes of Nigerians by such method. Or do we think we can go to court, obtain an injunction, then come back to nominate a President which Nigerians must accept without voting, or must vote for, all because “it is our turn”? Meanwhile some other leaders from other parts of the country have been busy building and mobilising grassroot support from across the zones, with a view to gaining their votes in next year’s Presidential election.”

The General said the Igbo have created a monster in its land and must take responsibility. He said: “Now that the monster we created has turned back to attack us,  we must take responsibility with a spirit of forthrightness and atonement in seeking for solution to the problem.”

He said that some of those he dismissed as “loud voices”, believe “so much in Josef Goebbels of Big Lie. Tell the lies boldly and repeatedly, and the masses will believe it to be the truth.

“If some of the Igbo leaders of today continue to rely on such strategy, then we could expect a similar backlash because form of dirty politics breeds violent conflict and destruction.”

On what it will be like in 2023, Ihejirika said:

“President Buhari will soon complete his tenure of office and another President (most likely from the South-west) will take over, and we could again start attacking him with insults, abuses and hate propaganda, which will lead us nowhere and cannot succeed in intimidating the new person to do our biddings.”

Senator Chimaroke in his post titled “The Igbo Insularity and its Yoruba Wahala”, without mentioning names, dismissed the candidacy of both the Presidential candidates of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, respectively.

He said of them and their ambition: “One a pure exercise in self-driven political catharsis, the other a known abuser and denigrator of my people.”

On the position of the Igbo in politics, the Medical Doctor-turned politician noted:

“The Igbo are out of the power echelon of an African State they helped found. Product of self-injury and own goal. We need a restart. Based on a paradigm shift. Careful but calculated risk.”

On what to do, Nnamani advised:

“The Igbo has to retrace the steps of (Michael) Okpara and (Obafemi Awolowo), the United Progressive Grand Alliance. An Igbo-Yoruba Alliance.

“It is not late for the Igbo to reflect on and carefully X-ray the looming reality of a President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Then, the PDP Senator heaped praises on Tinubu and what he sees as his imminent victory.

“A marathon politico Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, City Boy they call him, paid his dues over decades, performed creditably in governance and politics.

“With an A-Game, decades of hardwork, patience, resilience and tenacity. And a lot of swagger and chutzpah, Tinubu is it. A consummate and well navigated City boy. A winner always.

“Only saw him complain once, and probably his last. The rest is history.”