ENOUGH OF POLITICAL DECEPTION, SELF-SERVING ENDORSEMENTS AND THE BETRAYAL OF OUR COLLECTIVE ASPIRATIONS.
By Duruebube Oblong Nnadi-Oforgu
As Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, I believe the time has come for Ndi Igbo, and indeed all Nigerians, to confront an uncomfortable reality. Are we making electoral decisions based on our collective interests, economic survival, national development and the future of our children, or are we allowing selfish, opportunistic and sycophantic politicians to manipulate us into advancing their personal ambitions?
I am particularly concerned about the disposition of certain South East governors and political leaders who appear more enthusiastic about securing their personal political futures than demanding tangible economic and developmental concessions for the people they represent.
Let me be unequivocal. I have nothing personal against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, nor do I subscribe to the proposition that everything his administration has done is wrong. But democracy demands accountability, and political loyalty must never become a substitute for measurable performance.
- WHAT EXACTLY HAS THE TINUBU ADMINISTRATION DELIVERED TO NDI IGBO TO WARRANT ANOTHER FOUR YEARS?
By May 2027, this administration will have completed four years. What exactly will it have delivered to the South East to justify another mandate?
Let us examine the fundamental economic and developmental issues affecting our region.
SEAPORTS: What substantial improvements have been made to the commercial viability, efficiency and competitiveness of eastern ports? Why must our importers remain heavily dependent on Lagos when existing eastern maritime facilities could be developed into competitive alternatives?
IMPORTATION AND CUSTOMS: What has the administration done to reduce the cost of importing and clearing goods destined for Aba, Onitsha, Nnewi, Enugu and other eastern commercial centres? What measurable relief have importers received from the burdens of freight costs, customs procedures, transportation and logistics?
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION: What additional sustainable international passenger and cargo services have been attracted to the South East? Why should international airlines such as British Airways not be actively courted to establish commercially viable services from eastern airports, considering the substantial international travel and commercial activities of our people?
FEDERAL HIGHWAYS: Which critical roads connecting the South East to other parts of Nigeria have been completed, and how much safer and cheaper has transportation become? Why do so many of these roads remain associated with insecurity, poor maintenance, excessive checkpoints and harassment?
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE: Where are the functional freight rail connections linking eastern industries, manufacturing centres and commercial markets to seaports?
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT: What measurable improvements have manufacturers experienced in electricity supply, financing, production costs, transportation and access to markets?
SECURITY: What has changed on the highways where insecurity, extortion and excessive security checkpoints undermine commerce and the free movement of citizens?
FEDERAL REPRESENTATION: How have federal appointments translated into meaningful economic opportunities, infrastructure development and improved living standards for the ordinary citizen?
COST OF LIVING: How have government policies alleviated the hardship experienced by ordinary Nigerian families? Has purchasing power improved? Have food, transportation, healthcare and housing become more affordable?
STATE ALLOCATIONS: How have our governors deployed the substantially increased revenues available to their states following subsidy removal and changes in federal revenue distribution?
These are not questions intended to deny genuine achievements. Where the government has delivered, it deserves acknowledgment. Where it has failed, it must be held accountable.
But we must stop confusing political access with economic development, government announcements with completed projects, and presidential photographs with tangible achievements.
- WHAT IS THE INCENTIVE FOR THE SYCOPHANTIC DISPOSITION OF SOME OF OUR GOVERNORS?
What exactly explains the almost embarrassing displays of political subservience by certain governors?
Is it additional federal development funding? Is it access to infrastructure investment? Is it genuine national integration?
Or is it the prospect of ministerial appointments, vice presidential nominations, political protection and other personal advantages?
I am raising legitimate questions, not suggesting that every political endorsement is corrupt.
But when governors appear more enthusiastic about promoting presidential ambitions than explaining how their political alliances have improved their states, the electorate has every reason to become suspicious.
We see the publicity, political jamborees, endless movements to Abuja, expensive public relations campaigns and elaborate displays of loyalty.
Meanwhile, rural roads remain neglected, public schools deteriorate, primary healthcare facilities struggle, agricultural communities lack basic infrastructure, and ordinary citizens continue to suffer.
We must interrogate every naira of public money expended on political image making and ask how much could have been better deployed towards fixing rural roads, rehabilitating schools, improving hospitals and providing clean water.
A governor’s loyalty to the president is not an achievement. His ability to deliver measurable development to his people is.
What exactly are these governors selling to the electorate? Development or their own political ambitions?
Are they genuinely negotiating a better future for their states, or merely conditioning the people to accept political arrangements that advance their personal interests?
- THE IGBO PRESIDENCY: HOW LONG MUST WE CONTINUE WAITING?
Let us confront the historical facts.
Since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, the distribution of the presidency and vice presidency, calculated through May 2027 if the present administration completes its first term, has been approximately as follows:
SOUTH WEST: 12 years as president and 8 years as vice president.
NORTH WEST: 11 years as president and 5 years as vice president.
NORTH EAST: 12 years as vice president.
SOUTH SOUTH: 5 years as president and 3 years as vice president.
SOUTH EAST: ZERO years as president and ZERO years as vice president.
These figures should trouble every Nigerian who believes in fairness, inclusion, equity and equal access to national leadership.
Since 1999, no Nigerian from the South East has occupied either of the two highest executive offices in the federation.
Yet some of our own governors and political leaders are enthusiastically persuading Ndi Igbo to abandon the opportunity of supporting a credible Nigerian presidential candidate of Igbo extraction in favour of another four years for the incumbent.
Very well. Let us interrogate their political arithmetic.
If President Tinubu wins another four years, his presidency could end in 2031.
If the presidency subsequently rotates to the North for eight years, the next potential rotational opening for the South East might not arise until 2039.
2039!
And even that is merely a political possibility, not a constitutional guarantee. Other geopolitical zones would remain entitled to contest.
Therefore, I ask those governors and political leaders campaigning for another four years:
WHEN EXACTLY DO YOU EXPECT A NIGERIAN OF IGBO EXTRACTION TO BECOME PRESIDENT?
2031? 2039? 2047? Or never?
What is the political roadmap?
What commitments have been secured?
What assurances have been given?
Or are we being persuaded to postpone our collective aspirations so that a handful of ambitious politicians can position themselves for vice presidential nominations, ministerial appointments and other political rewards?
Are we expected to surrender a legitimate presidential opportunity so that certain politicians can negotiate their personal advancement?
Is our collective future worth nothing more than a bowl of political porridge?
These are questions that deserve honest answers.
- PETER OBI, NATIONAL UNITY AND THE OPPORTUNITY BEFORE US
Let me make something absolutely clear.
Supporting the legitimate aspiration of a Nigerian of Igbo extraction to become president is not ethnic chauvinism.
Peter Obi must be evaluated, like every other presidential aspirant, on competence, integrity, experience, economic policies, administrative performance, capacity for national coalition building and his vision for Nigeria.
He must earn the confidence of Nigerians across all six geopolitical zones.
But neither should his ethnic origin become an excuse to dismiss his presidential ambition or demand that the South East perpetually defer its legitimate aspirations.
We have an opportunity to work with fellow Nigerians from the North, South West, South South and North Central to build a genuine national coalition around credible leadership, institutional reform, economic recovery and equitable development.
The ambition must be to elect a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction who governs for every Nigerian, not an ethnic president serving sectional interests.
That is a legitimate national aspiration.
Why should we surrender that possibility merely because some politicians believe their personal careers would flourish under another administration?
Why should the political ambition of a prospective vice president override the legitimate presidential aspiration of an entire geopolitical zone?
And why should Ndi Igbo listen to politicians who cannot articulate a credible pathway towards achieving the very political inclusion they are asking us to postpone?
- THE ECONOMIC QUESTIONS OUR GOVERNORS ARE NOT ASKING LOUDLY ENOUGH
Why must eastern importers remain so heavily dependent on Lagos ports when existing eastern maritime facilities could be developed into more competitive alternatives?
Why have successive administrations failed to establish an efficient maritime and freight transportation network serving the South East’s enormous commercial and manufacturing economy?
Why must traders in Aba, Onitsha and Nnewi continue to contend with expensive logistics, poor road connectivity and avoidable transportation difficulties?
Why are there not more direct international passenger and cargo services from eastern airports, notwithstanding the substantial international travel and commercial activities of the region?
Why should British Airways and other international carriers not be actively courted through commercially viable aviation policies, infrastructure investment and route development incentives?
Why do so many roads connecting the South East to the rest of Nigeria remain associated with insecurity, poor maintenance and excessive security checkpoints?
Why have we not developed an integrated transportation system connecting our commercial cities, industrial clusters, airports and ports?
Why is a region renowned for enterprise, commerce, manufacturing and international trade still struggling with basic logistics infrastructure?
These problems did not originate with the Tinubu administration. Successive federal and state governments share responsibility.
But the incumbent administration must be assessed on what it has done to address them, while our governors must be judged by the tangible concessions they have secured, not their proximity to presidential power.
- A WARNING TO THE POLITICAL CLASS: OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE IS NOT FOR SALE
Ndi Igbo must stop allowing politicians to present their personal ambitions as collective regional interests.
The same warning applies to Nigerians everywhere.
A governor seeking a vice presidential nomination is entitled to his ambition. A senator seeking to be senate president is entitled to take a gamble. A politician seeking a ministerial appointment is entitled to pursue it.
But neither is entitled to demand that millions of citizens subordinate their economic wellbeing, political aspirations and future opportunities to those ambitions.
We must reject the political culture in which sycophancy is rewarded, independent thought is discouraged and legitimate questions are dismissed as disloyalty.
We must reject politicians who are prepared to throw their own people under the bus merely to advance their careers.
We must reject the notion that access to Abuja automatically translates into development.
We must reject the political jobbers who believe that the electorate exists merely to legitimise arrangements already negotiated behind closed doors.
Public office is a responsibility, not a private investment portfolio.
The resources of our states are not personal campaign funds.
Our collective political future is not a bargaining chip.
Our votes are not negotiable instruments for politicians seeking to feather their own nests.
And our children should not inherit the consequences of political decisions taken solely to satisfy the ambitions of a privileged few.
- THE GOVERNORS MUST ACCOUNT FOR THE INCREASED FEDERAL ALLOCATIONS
One of the most consequential economic developments since the removal of petrol subsidy has been the increase in revenues available for distribution among the federal, state and local governments.
Our governors cannot continue to blame Abuja for every developmental failure while refusing to provide transparent accounts of how additional resources have been utilised.
Where are the rural roads?
Where are the rehabilitated public schools?
Where are the functional primary healthcare centres?
Where are the agricultural processing facilities?
Where are the water schemes?
Where are the investments in small and medium-sized enterprises?
Where are the measurable improvements in employment, household income and living standards?
How much has been spent on government publicity, political mobilisation, travel, ceremonies and other discretionary expenditure?
How much has been invested in projects that directly improve the economic wellbeing of ordinary citizens?
These questions must be answered with audited figures, completed projects and verifiable outcomes.
Governors who wish to campaign for the reelection of the president should first demonstrate what their political relationship with the federal government has delivered to their own people.
- THE FIVE QUESTIONS EVERY GOVERNOR MUST ANSWER BEFORE 2027
First, how much additional federal funding has your state received since May 2023, and how has it been spent?
Second, which roads, hospitals, schools, industrial facilities and agricultural projects have been completed and are functioning?
Third, what measurable improvements have occurred in port access, freight transportation, customs clearance, industrial productivity and the cost of doing business?
Fourth, what documented developmental commitments have you secured through your political relationship with Abuja?
Fifth, what is your credible national political strategy for equitable South-East representation beyond 2027?
These are not unreasonable demands. They are the minimum obligations of democratic accountability.
- NDI IGBO MUST NOT CONFUSE POLITICAL LOYALTY WITH POLITICAL WISDOM
There is nothing dishonourable about cooperating with the federal government. Indeed, responsible governors should maintain constructive relationships with Abuja irrespective of party affiliation.
But cooperation must produce measurable benefits.
Political alignment without tangible development is not statesmanship.
Unconditional endorsement without accountability is not leadership.
And persuading an entire people to postpone legitimate political aspirations without presenting a credible alternative is not political wisdom.
We must not become spectators in the struggle for our own future.
We must not allow the ambitions of a handful of politicians to define the destiny of millions.
We must not exchange long term political inclusion for short term political patronage.
- MY FINAL CALL TO NDI IGBO AND ALL NIGERIANS
Before casting your vote in 2027, ask yourself:
What has this government done to improve my life?
Has the cost of living become more manageable?
Has my business become more competitive?
Are our roads safer?
Are our schools and hospitals better?
Are our ports and airports functioning to their economic potential?
Have our governors justified the increased public resources at their disposal?
Are the politicians asking for our votes presenting credible development programmes, or merely asking us to trust their relationships with powerful people?
Above all, are we voting for the future of Nigeria or financing the ambitions of politicians who have mastered the art of political survival?
LET US NOT MISTAKE SYCOPHANCY FOR STATESMANSHIP, PERSONAL AMBITION FOR PATRIOTISM, OR POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT.
Ndi Igbo must not be politically intimidated into abandoning legitimate aspirations. Equally, we must not allow ethnic sentiment to blind us to questions of competence, integrity and character.
Our northern, western, eastern and southern compatriots face many of the same economic hardships. We must build bridges across Nigeria, not retreat into sectional antagonism.
The real political divide should be between those who seek public office to serve the people and those who exploit public office to serve themselves.
In 2027, let us weigh our choices against economic reality, measurable performance, political equity and the future of our children.
Let us refuse to be distracted by the ambitions of selfish politicians whose primary preoccupation is securing their next appointment, political promotion or personal advantage.
Let us demand evidence rather than propaganda, accountability rather than sycophancy, and national development rather than political patronage.
NO GOVERNOR OWNS OUR CONSCIENCE.
NO POLITICAL PARTY OWNS OUR VOTES.
NO PRESIDENT IS ENTITLED TO REELECTION WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY.
NO POLITICIAN HAS THE RIGHT TO MORTGAGE OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE TO ADVANCE HIS PERSONAL AMBITION.
And no people should be expected to wait indefinitely for political inclusion while those entrusted with representing them negotiate their own places at the table.
THE SOUTH EAST IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF NIGERIA, NOT A POLITICAL AFTERTHOUGHT.
We seek no special privilege. We demand the same opportunities, infrastructure, security, political inclusion and economic prospects that every Nigerian deserves.
Our collective aspiration must never be sacrificed for a bowl of political porridge.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
LET NDI IGBO AND ALL NIGERIANS WAKE UP, ASK THE TOUGH QUESTIONS AND MAKE THEIR ELECTORAL CHOICES BASED ON REALITY, NOT THE SELFISH AMBITIONS OF POLITICAL JOBBERS.
THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE, NOT TO THOSE WHO SEEK TO FEATHER THEIR OWN NESTS AT THE PEOPLE’S EXPENSE.
DURUEBUBE “OBLONG” NNADI-OFORGU
For
OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE (OMGI)
Independent Thought.
Political Accountability. National Equity.
Public Interest.
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