By Ena OFUGARA
“Igbos are not united” “Igbos are against themselves” “Igbos are politically not smart” etc etc. These are the stereotypes we have been fed by the media for aeons. The evidence have long betrayed this position, but again, the media and the hands behind it know this disunity narrative achieves its goal of telling a lie several times so it can be true…. perception is reality
It is not in Igbo land or the East that there was anarchy that pulled down the FIRST REPUBLIC.
WILD WILD WEST it was called, not WILD WILD EAST
Akintola that joined the North to take down amd imprison Awolowo is not an Igbo man. Okpara, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ojukwu senior, etc continued to be in harmony.
Even when the whole nation decided to give a Yorubaman office, Olu Falae and the Yoruba nation did not let Obasanjo “drink water and drop cup.” If Hausas had tried to play a fast one, they could have introduced and supported one of their own as Olu Falae and Obasanjo battles it out. The West rejected their own Obasanjo throughout his first tenure, enough for Atiku to attempt to humiliate Obasanjo, forcing Obasanjo to his knees.
I can go on to educate my readers, or at the least, show them what is hiding in plain sight: Igbos may actually be more united than the rest of Southern Nigeria
If it was an Igbo man that was acting as ungratefully and traitorly as Yemi Osinbajo, will any Igbo man or woman be able to talk still on Facebook??? Tinubu took you from your average legal practice, selling books in a Nigeria of piracy and photocopying. Tinubu gave him all his first big gigs.
And when Nigerians refused the Muslim ticket of Buhari/Tinubu, Tinubu single-handedly chose Osinbajo. He gave Buhari Fashola amd Fayemi. Today, two of his proteges are running for president against him, instead of All three lieutenants to be crisscrossing the length and breath of Nigeria, for their old man, Egbon Jagaban, Tinubu who all rose climbing on top Tinubu’s shoulders. Igbos did it for their adopted Jonathan. No Igbo ran against him, or non got traction. This BIG BETRAYAL of Tinubu by his own proteges, had it been by Igbo men…
Today again, we are seeing Igbos put forward Peter Obi. We know this is product of love for capacity, not bullion/van loyalty to Tinubu.
Now count the Yorubas on the ballot, including Tunde Bakare, Amosun etc. If Jonathan Goodluck runs truly against these amount of Yorubas, and their votes get divided…
This is Yoruba joining to scuttle their own turn at presidency as agreed between Buhari and Tinubu. Yemi Osinbajo and Fayemi and Fashola (behind the scenes) being used as tools against Tinubu. Imagine if Osinbajo was Igbo. “They like money too much. No loyalty”. But as he is Yoruba, no newspaper has called him the evil traitor that he truly is. He knew he was a place holder for Tinubu when he was picked as VP. Today…..
In conclusion, “wild wild West of 1963” was not in the East
And Igbo men are not the ones showing shameful contemptible disregard for their elder, political Godfather and benefactor