Southern Solidarity For Tinubu: Read This Before You Join

By Ike Abonyi 

 “When there is no enemy within the enemies outside cannot hurt you," -- Winston S. Churchill

Before you join the on-going money induced southern solidarity group for Tinubu either due to political party loyalty, or your gluttony to the political largesse on display or you carry envy in your stomach why should it be Peter Obi, and not me or any other person, please do well to enrich and upgrade your knowledge so that as you leap you know where you are vaulting into, the frying pan or into the fire.

A lot has been said about the so-called Southern Solidarity for President Bola Tinubu for 2027, and it has not been easy locating the basis for such support. The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi was the first to fly the kite that they were raising some Igbo leaders to approach Labour Party’s standard bearer, Peter Obi, to ask him to step down for Tinubu to complete his second term. This ignoble and uncharitable thinking is being anchored on the so-called Southern Solidarity. Some stomach-induced advocates have been campaigning for Tinubu to allow him to go for a second term. First and foremost, this group knew that what Tinubu occupies today in the spirit of fairness in the south and the electoral outcome is not his.

But the truth is that there is nothing like a political South in Nigeria. It may exist geographically by the 1914 amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates to become one country called Nigeria, but politically the foundation of the country was laid on the tripod of the three major ethnic groups, Igbos, Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani, that were largely domiciled in the East, West and North, respectively.

A lot of political configurations have taken place since independence in 1960 to bring us to now six geopolitical areas with North and South sharing it equally, three each, but the political tripod has remained dominant in mind and influence.

What has been happening in Nigeria politically speaking since 1999 is a scheme to ensure that one of the legs of the tripod in the foundation, the Igbos are subjugated, brought under domination permanently by hook or crook 

In 2023, the former Anambra state Governor Peter Obi, through his political sagacity and kismet, attempted to break the jinx, dragging Igbos out of their political cocoons to the national politics where they should be, but the gang up continued, resulting in the kangaroo election of 2023.

But apparently resolving to accomplish his mission of steadying Ndigbo in the national politics where they truly belong, Peter Obi in his profundity has refused to be frustrated out, even when there is enormous gunfire on him to be forced out.

If selfishness is not the driving force, on what basis, for God’s sake, will anybody be considering a southern solidarity for Tinubu? Based on equity, it cannot stand because the South West by 2027 would have taken 12 years of the President and eight years of the Vice President, with the other leg of the tripod, which Obi represents, having nothing. Based on competence and capacity, Tinubu and Obi will be a mismatch if compared, given what we have seen in all ramifications in the last two years. Ditto in character, compassion and capacity. And by the zoning arrangement, if the long neglected third leg of the tripod fails to get it in 2027, they can begin the dream in 2039, that is 14 years.

Even if we are to leave all that and look at how Tinubu has treated the South East since 2023, it will still be difficult to locate where to base supporting Tinubu. On statutory appointments, the constitution directed that every state should have one Minister in the Federal Executive Council, as usual, the South East has fewer numbers because of the existing marginalisation that kept them with five states, while others have six, with the North West having seven.

But under Tinubu’s watch, the entire South East, a member of the foundational tripod, has two full cabinet Ministers, while South WEST, where the President comes from, has nine Ministers in addition to the Chief of Staff and the CBN Governors among others. In the heads of parastatals and agencies, the South East occupy less than 10% while the South West, which has the President of the country, occupy over 50%.

You go to all the revenue points of the country 100% are in the hands of the Yoruba, none with the Igbos or the other members of the tripod. Here are the roll call for emphasis, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Customs( they just extended the tenure of the Yoruba Comptroller General who was supposed to retire this month just to ensure that an Igbo deputy does not take over), Immigration, Ministers of Finance and, Blue Economy, NIMAS, Ports Authority, NNPCL, Petroleum(the President himself is the Minister), the Auditor General and Accountant General etc. Both the approving and disbursing authorities are in the hands of one ethnic group out of over 200 tribes in the country. In fact, out of about 16 directors just appointed in the CBN, Yoruba alone has nine, with the rest of the country sharing seven. I will choose to be silent on security where the Inspector General of Police tenure is extended forcing many others to retire, or the DSS, civil defence, EFCC, Army and others that they cannot share because you don’t expect one who can’t trust you to touch money meant for you and him to trust you on his security.

In the President’s desperation to appease the North ahead of 2027, Tinubu made about 12 appointments recently, where the North had about 10, including the son of the indomitable former President Ibrahim Babangida, and the rest were still Yoruba, but none from any other southern states. So, what is the basis for Southern solidarity if a Southerner cannot get a deserving career position because he or she is not a Yoruba?

In Lagos, built by all Nigerians, mostly Igbo, some Tinubu political thugs planted in various local Government areas as councillors and chairmen are busy changing the names of anything connected to Igbo to Yoruba, including street names and bus stops. They are frustrating the activities of Ndigbo in Lagos and forcefully taking over their legitimately earned assets. Why won't they? The First Lady Remi Tinubu was on record during electioneering, promising to deal with Igbos in Lagos, so why is anybody surprised at the happenings against Ndigbo in Lagos when we know her huge influence in the regime? Bayo Onanuga is also on record as having said that he owes nobody an apology for the ethnic slur against Igbos, because they are a threat to Yorubas.

One obscure and arcane, hurriedly assembled Yoruba group by the name, Yoruba Elders Progressive Council, has been pushing for a law to be passed by the Lagos state government to take over Igbo property in Lagos. Below are excerpts from their statement “The Lagos State House of Assembly must take steps to revoke and reduce the tenure of Certificate of Occupancy granted to non-indigenes or non-Yoruba-indigenes from 100 years to a more reasonable 25 years. After these 25 years, the certificate should be subject to renewal, and such renewal should come at a cost. A fee of 15 per cent of the current market value of the property should be paid at the time of renewal. This will ensure that ownership is not taken for granted and that the indigenes still have a say in how their land is used, transferred, or retained.

“Let it be clear that this reform is not about discrimination or hatred. It is about protecting the ancestral stake of the people whose history and heritage cannot be bought with money. Lagos is a state of hospitality and openness, but even hospitality has its limits when it begins to threaten the host. The indigenes of Lagos cannot fold their arms and watch as their identity is redefined by settlers whose roots are elsewhere. They must rise, legally and peacefully, to put safeguards in place for the future.

“Another important step that must be taken is to revoke and tighten the process of obtaining the Lagos State Certificate of Origin. Today, anyone can claim to be a Lagosian with little or no verification. This has allowed many non-indigenes to gain access to opportunities, land rights, and political leverage that should ordinarily be reserved for true sons and daughters of the soil. This loophole has been abused repeatedly, and it must be closed”

If this faceless group is indeed elders as they claim, they should know the quantum of contributions Igbo have made and are still making to bring Lagos to where it is today and to know that they deserve respect. A Yoruba daughter, Kemi Badenoch, is on the door to becoming the British Prime Minister, and she and her parents have made no contributions to the development of the United Kingdom compared to what Ndigbo have done in Lagos.

Last week while addressing a summit on the new media, the President was quoted as saying to them! “Your generation has recognised this moment. You are using digital tools to innovate, educate, and demand accountability. But as your influence grows, so must our collective sense of purpose and responsibility.

“I urge you to continue using digital platforms to advance our nation’s progress. Build businesses that employ others. Create content that uplifts and unites. Use your influence to foster unity, not division.” 

As patriotic as the President’s remarks seem, a number of the participants at the summit could not reconcile the President seeing media influencers as critical to unity and progress in the society without him seeing anything wrong, antithetical or unethical to Unity in his appropriating every juicy position to his ethnic group in a plural society like ours. But that is what you get in a duplicitous society where leaders want you to do as they say not what they do. Therefore, for you who want to jump into the so-called Southern Solidarity for Tinubu, you need to know from the empirical facts above that the man in question is orchestrating division in the South and does not deserve any political unanimity. As Joe Echevarria, an American accomplished executive, noted, “the best way to predict the future is to create it together,” for Tinubu, Southern Nigeria is minus the Igbo, politically speaking, and every 'Nwafor' Igbo should know this. God help us.