For years, I have harbored a simmering rage, an anger that refuses to dissipate whenever thoughts of my home state, Imo State, flood my consciousness. It’s a visceral emotion, born out of frustration and helplessness in witnessing the tragic turn that has befallen the Eastern Heartland, my beloved state.
I restrained myself from putting pen to paper, adhering to the golden rule of communication – refrain from speaking when consumed by anger. But the weight of indignation had two distinct roots that fueled this seething fury within me.
Firstly, my ire is directed towards the Northern Islamic Oligarchy and their Feudal Lords, who, exploiting the Nigerian State’s fragility and the vulnerabilities of its institutions, engineered the calamity that is today’s Imo State. This manipulation, orchestrated to fulfill the feudal aspirations of the Grand Madhi, emanates from a long-held dream rooted in the territorial ambitions of Sultan Usman Dan Fodio, interrupted by British intervention in 1903.
This dream, ever a driving force of the Northern political elite, surfaced with renewed vigor after British departure, often ousting popular leaders among non-Islamic adherents and replacing them with compliant figures. This ambition to ‘Islamize’ Nigeria and drown the Quran in the sea came to a head on January 14, 2020, when Muhammadu Buhari, with the aid of a weakened Supreme Court, overturned the sovereign will of Imo’s populace, installing a compromised leader through a judicial coup.
In the wake of this judicial subversion, the impact has been grave. Thousands of Imo youths were ‘converted’ to Islam through state-sponsored patronage, funded by the government for pilgrimage to Mecca. This shift, at the cost of peace and through blood and terror, is but a bitter fruit of the unjust imposition sanctioned by Buhari’s maneuver.
The state-sponsored terror that has ravaged my homeland refuses to wane, a continuous coup d’état that surpasses any prior upheaval in Nigeria’s history.
The second source of my unrelenting fury stems from the treacherous betrayal of Imo’s political elite and the complacency of its people. In the immediate aftermath of Buhari’s imposition, the entire political class danced in compliant solidarity with the impostor, abandoning all resistance. Even the majority of PDP lawmakers, including the Speaker, defected to the ruling party without qualms, betraying the trust of those who elected them.
This collective amnesia that enveloped the land speaks volumes about the nexus between a populace and its leadership. In the end, Imo got the government it seemingly deserved.
In juxtaposition, history reveals instances where other Nigerian communities resisted such impositions. The Yoruba in 1965 and the people of Ondo State in 1983 stood in solidarity against the Northern oligarchy’s designs, ushering in significant changes in Nigeria’s political landscape. It reaffirms the adage that a people deserve the leadership they receive.
The tragedy in Imo further emphasizes a recurring pattern among my people—a realization I’ve painfully discovered: “You don’t fight an Igbo war; you fight your war.” Since the cessation of the Igbo war with Biafra, it has become a solitary battle for survival. Relying on collective resistance is a futile hope. This stark revelation only deepens my anger.
In a personal battle against religious imposition, I witnessed firsthand the lack of depth and substance in Igbo resistance. Our resistance faded as swiftly as it surfaced, leaving numerous casualties in its wake.
As Imo prepares for the polls, I harbor no expectations, shielding myself from inevitable disappointment. My faith wanes not just in the government, electoral bodies, judiciary, or political elite, but ultimately in the people of Imo. Expectations are futile, for the cycle of electoral injustice will likely be embraced without resistance, perpetuating the tragic saga.
This realization, wrought with anger and disillusionment, stands as a testament to the betrayal and apathy embedded within the fabric of Imo’s political landscape, an echo of a recurring tragedy that perpetuates the cycle of betrayal and disappointment.
Duruebube
09/11/2023
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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