Why Afenifere must sharpen the focus on restructuring

By  Dr Seun Kolade

When Afenifere recently announced its support for Peter Obi’s presidential candidacy, under the auspices of the labour party, not a few were taken by surprise, for various reasons. Perhaps the most vocal have been political associates and supporters of former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of APC. Tinubu’s supporters argued, in effect, that the fundamental principle of self-preservation dictated that Yoruba’s leading socio-political organisation must give support to “one of their own”, in spite of any grievances they may have about Tinubu’s flaws and past failings. The argument went further: to discountenance Tinubu’s candidacy is to work against Yoruba interest. I will return to this in a moment, but let us also consider the response of another group, supporters of Peter Obi who were pleasantly surprised by Afenifere’s endorsement of Obi’s candidacy. In their reckoning, Afenifere had proven, with its endorsement of Obi’s presidential candidacy, that it was not merely a champion of a Yoruba ethnic agenda, and that it does not hate Ndigbo, for good measure. 

Wide off the mark

Both of these responses miss the mark, of course. The logic of self-preservation advanced by Tinubu’s supporters, is peculiarly ironic, given Tinubu’s open and frequent repudiation of the Yoruba cause over the years. When Yorubaland reels under incessant attacks of terrorists and kidnappers, Tinubu said and did very little. Lagos state, which he still rules by proxy, is the least engaged of all the southwestern states in the collaborative efforts to combat terrorist activities in the land, including through the formation of Amotekun. When the daughter of Afenifere’s emeritus leader was murdered in cold blood by terrorists, Tinubu notoriously asked, “where are the cows?, as he sought to casually dismiss any link of the murder with terrorist herdsmen, before any investigation into the murder was undertaken. At various times when opportunities have presented itself for him to step forward in defense of his Yoruba people, he has gone missing, prevaricated and vacillated. Indeed, the only time Mr Tinubu summoned the sentiments of the Yoruba Nation agitation was when his APC presidential candidacy was in jeopardy. In his now viral “Emi Lokan” speech, he stated, in a manner of a revisionist opportunist, that the only interest he had in supporting Buhari was to advance the interest of the Yoruba Nation. He was issuing a no-subtle threat to the effect that he was prepared to throw his weight behind Yoruba Nation agitators, should his presidential ambition be scuttled by the APC powerbrokers.

In spite of all desperate efforts by his followers to whitewash his profile, the man has shown over the past decades that he is a ruthlessly ambitious operator who is ready to sacrifice anything and anyone in the pursuit of his personal ambition. He is interested in self-preservation only to the extent that it applies to his personal ambition. Yoruba Nation can go to blazes. In mocking the death of Fasoranti’s daughter and openly repudiating Yoruba causes time and again, he was deliberately ingratiating himself to the Northern power brokers who style themselves as the custodian of political power in Nigeria. This is the same with his incoherent response to the END SARS protest. Indeed, he probably consider the backlash to his silence and perceived complicity as a badge of honour with which he can woo the Northern political elite. 

As for the so-called “OBIDIENTS” feeling pleasantly surprised with Afenifere’s endorsement of Obi, they easily forget that Afenifere has always taken a moral stand, often against the current of popular opinion. They warned against Buhari’s candidature back in 2015, when many unsuspecting citizens were swindled by a dubious narrative of a “born-again” General Buhari. They supported Jonathan on the basis of the latter’s support for a sovereign national conference, something that was ultimately undertaken too late to make a difference. Afenifere is a human organisation with its own flaws and weaknesses, but on the most important issues of the day, it has demonstrated, time again, its moral authority and capacity to see through and beyond the artifices and machinations of temporary political considerations. It is the moral conscience, not only of the Yoruba, but the Nigerian nation. It has nothing to prove. And this is why the next point is important: Afenifere supports Obi’s candidacy not merely because he is Igbo, but because he is the one candidate that has openly and credibly committed to restructuring, and he is the only candidate with which Afenifere and the coalition of southern and middle belt leaders can work to achieve the restructuring of the Nigerian pseudo-federal nation-state. 

Restructuring must remain in the forefront and centre-stage

The importance of restructuring cannot be overstated. There are some, including a number of Afenifere leaders, who have put the emphasis on the imperative of justice and inclusiveness in supporting someone of Igbo descent to ascend Nigeria’s highest office. Their hearts are in the right place. It is true that in Nigeria’s 62 years of existence post-independence, no Igbo man has occupied the highest office in the land, save for six tragic months of General Aguiyi Ironsi in 1966. The other was Nnamdi Azikiwe’s ceremonial presidency in the early sixties, but that does not count in terms of real executive power. Indeed, the six-month reign of Ironsi turned out to be particularly tragic for Ndigbo, more than any other ethnic groups in Nigeria. Ordinary Igbo men and women, especially in the North, were blamed for perceived action and inaction of Ironsi and the January 1966 coupists. They were murdered in hundreds of thousands in a pogrom that remained the biggest stain in the conscience of the Nigerian nation. 

A just outcome for Ndigbo is not another enactment of a puppet presidency in an all-powerful centre controlled by a corrupt “elite” who style themselves the “owners” of Nigeria. Such an outcome would most likely be a tragedy and an exercise in futility. The just outcome for the Igbo people is a restructured Nigeria that unleashes the genius and creativity of the enterprising people of southeast Nigeria, the dynamism that is tragically stifled in the current structural arrangement of the Nigeria state. The Nigerian state is holding Ndigbo back. A tokenistic presidency, absent restructuring, will be tragic whitewash of this reality. For good measure, Nigeria is holding the Yoruba back. It is holding back the Ijaws, Urhobos, and the various ethnic nationalities across southern and Northern Nigeria. The only group that the current structure serves are the corrupt political “elites” who have been feeding fat on the carcass of the Nigeria state- for so long. Unless and until Nigeria is restructured, the nation will continue to grope in the darkness, round circle. Nay, unless Nigeria is restructured, it will sleepwalk over the precipice, driven by the opium of wanton corruption and compulsive greed. 

Restructuring is the antidote to fear of domination

A restructured Nigeria is also the most effective antidote to the insidious virus of fear. Already, a narrative of Igbo domination under a potential Obi presidency is taking hold in many online and social media platforms. Some would say that this is an example of a base and primordial sentiment that should not be given serious thoughts by credible public intellectuals. However, some Yoruba social media commentators are already busy citing the past (and recent) rhetoric of certain Igbo irredentists as evidence to back up their fears of Igbo domination. It is sad and unfortunate, but make no mistake, fear is a potent weapon in the hands of politicians. It works every time, even in so-called advanced countries like the United States.

If you look closely, you will find that the current structure of the Nigeria pseudo-federal republic is the sort that lends itself to all sorts of fears, both credible and irrational. An all-powerful central government is always a ready, fertile ground for abuse. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In all powerful central government nominally led by Peter Obi, all you need for abuse to take place is for a group of people to wield significant influence. We have seen this script play out with previous presidents, including Obasanjo and Jonathan. Under the Buhari presidency, the abuse of power has been taken to unprecedented heights, and without consequences. Wanton abuse is inherent in the structure of an all-powerful/dominant central government.

So you see, the most effective antidote to this virus of fear is a restructured Nigeria. If Obi commits in a clear, measurable way to a restructured Nigeria, the fear of domination is removed or at least significantly mitigated- either as a credible fear in the hearts of ordinary people or a weapon in the hands of opportunistic, desperate politicians and their supporters. The president of a restructured Nigeria holds no fear for its constituent ethnic nationalities who will be enabled and empowered to control their own destiny and chart their own course. This is why, in my view, Afenifere’s core messaging should be that it supports restructuring as a core agenda, and its support for Obi is to achieve this core agenda- in the interest of justice and progress for all. 

 

Seun Kolade is based in the United Kingdom, where he holds the post of Associate Professor in Strategic Management. He is also a consultant for a number of international organisations