By ‘Dayo Showemimo
Read the article below…
I am very happy at the news coming out of Owerri that Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been re-elected Governor of Imo State on the platform of APC. Every Igbo man owes this gentleman a great measure of gratitude. By his achievement, Rochas has made sure that the South East is not a desert of absurdity.
In my piece titled, ‘NOT IN MY NAME’ published on March 31, 2015, I had written the following words: “For the Igbos to have been seen as the main backers of a government that has continuously stood good sense on its head and shown very little strategic intellect is a historic mistake. The destructive alliance that may have suggested that my people have willy-nilly supported the unsustainable financial corruption and value corruption that has recently gone on in Nigeria, has done the Igbo man a lot of harm. The only thing we have achieved is to make ourselves irrelevant in the Nigerian political process. Can you imagine the Igbos, a critical part of the tripod on which Nigeria has stood, becoming a minority in Nigeria’s political market place?
“Let it be known that the biggest loser in the current elections is not Goodluck Jonathan. It is the Igbo man”.
Let me make it clear that I am not a friend of Rochas Okorocha and there have been moments when I have complained of his style. Once again, I wish to say that I am not a card carrying member of any political party. There is however no doubt in my mind that among the motley of persons who today claim to be leaders in Igbo land, Rochas Okorocha has shown an acute strategic understanding of Nigerian politics.
I wonder how it would have played if General Buhari took office without the more than 25% of the votes he received in Imo State. Can you imagine the APC which has painted Nigeria in its colours not having one governor in the entire east of the Niger? I know people who will tell you that it does not matter. Such People do not understand how politics works. In real politics, you have to bring something to the table to take anything out of the table. The whole concept of representative democracy is predicated on the idea that when critical issues are being discussed, you have someone there to argue your issues and ensure that your interests are taken into consideration.
The Igboman was practically at the self-inflicted precipice of not having anyone on the table, at this critical period, while Nigeria discusses its issues. We would have been mere spectators! I know that there are many out there who will shout that the Igbo man cannot be shoved aside. Unfortunately, in this case, it is the Igbo man that almost shoved himself aside. Please if I am wrong, give me the name of the person who would have represented the interest of the Igbos with any muscle in the new dispensation.
I want to repeat that the Igbos have brilliant men and women across the world but they abandoned politics to political contractors and traders.. I want to say again that it is time that these brilliant men and women produced a new crop of leaders for Igbo land. The Igbos urgently need a leadership that has a good strategic understanding of the Nigerian political environment and will ensure that our kinsmen effectively deploy our well known resourcefulness and hard work towards the progress of the Nigerian project and ensure that the future well being of our children is guaranteed.
We need a leadership that understands that we have the ability to do much more than buying and selling and that having a lot of money does not necessarily mean having a lot of good sense. If the truth must be told, we have had enough of the political contractors who have continually misled the igbo man and traded with his interest for their personal benefits. Every serious minded Igbo man and woman must get involved. More than any other group in Nigeria, we need change.
Thank you Rochas!
Tony Okoroji congratulates Rochas Okorocha in new article
