BY BARR VITALIS UNACHUKWU
Nigeria’s 2023 Presidency is not for grabs by anyone without requisite political tutelage .
People from the South East are watching the rest of the country with keen political interest , to see if they would be denied the opportunity of presenting a credible candidate for the office of President, come 2023 .
It’s a historical fact , that of all the geopolitical zones of Nigeria, only the Igbos of the South East, have not been allowed to produce the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, since the end of the Civil War .
There’s no way the Igbos would feel politically secure and integrated in the mainstream of Nigeria’s power structure, unless they are given a sense of belonging , accommodation and opportunity to bid for the Presidency of the country, like the North , South West and South South of the country.
Only the South East Zone , inhabited by the Igbos has not been treated fairly and justly in this respect .
Equal Political leadership aspiration and representation, is the basic right for the major ethnic partners that make up the Nigerian Union and not the exclusive political preserve of the North or any other section of the country.
It has been stated time and again that , there can be no peace without justice, because all the troubles in the world emanate from the ambit of injustice and denying people their due under the law and political rights .
Nigeria’s unity is in limbo and groggy , as it portends a risky gamble , if we as a nation, fail to allow justice prevail this time in the political leadership representation of the South East Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria.
Doing what is right is worth doing well irrespective of whose political ox is gored .
Is truly fixing Nigeria to be working well for all Nigerians, an issue to be politicized or over politicized as against leaving the nation in shambles to benefit only a few powerful, privileged ones ?
I think politics should be jettisoned ashore while we pick a sound political Aristocrat and Democrat to carpenter our broken system and make it functional again, for the good of all and to the greater glory of God .
Nigeria only works for a powerful minority when it is in a dysfunctional state as it is at the moment .
Democracy is the people’s business to make their system of government work for the greater common good .
We cannot afford to fail again this time around , now that people have started to indicate interest to run for the highest office in the land and lead our nation.
Already , we have a Moses in the waiting, ready to lead us to our elusive promised land :
HIS NAME IS SENATOR (DR) ANYIM PIUS ANYIM, (GCON) , Former Senate President and Leader of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who has all it takes to reshape our nation with fresh leadership vision .
There’s no one from the South East Geopolitical Zone that has his political clout and stature to lead our nation at the moment.
He’s the most suitable and credible candidate for the Presidential Job .
Everyone who has been a keen follower of events in Nigeria knows this fact like the back of one’s hands , political sentiments apart .
His senses of political sagacity and perspicacity, brought to bear on his unassailable political leadership experience, are sound track records of service and unquestionable Presidential , material credentials for the highest office in the land .
He’s a political colossus , standing tallest above those warming up in the rear to run for the office of President, which is never a largesse for political favoritism and settlement.
How honorable and transparent are the so called “bigwigs,” as Nigeria’s Presidency is not a matter of cash , looted by other political hooligans, and is not for all comers .
Apart from Senator (Dr) Anyim Pius Anyim , the rest have no solid political milestones and clout to equal Senator Anyim in this bid .
What we are talking about is the candidate on whom the Presidential cap fits .
Other political runners , should rethink their bid and back up the man who is well endowed to lead us at this crucial, critical time of our nation’s democratic history .
They should search their consciences and refuse the prompts and divisive agenda of the North and rally one candidate, namely Senator Anyim in wrestling power from the North , otherwise, they would be politically useless and irrelevant in the nearest future .
There’s no gain saying the fact that trying the impossible is often counterproductive with bunch of regrets .
The worst that can happen to a politician is the reality of discovering being used and discarded after mortgaging one’s conscience through oaths of secrecy and political slavery .
It’s on record that some of the runners bastardized the public treasuries of their States , to the point of bankruptcy and insolvency, with the unpatriotic hope of amassing so much to aid their Presidential bid , as they conducted themselves in 8 years of power brigandage with chaotic political legacies on the political saddle in their States .
Citizens of their States are preponderant in their conclusions on how rural they left them and now want to use resources looted from the States to run for office in order to lead the country.
Has anybody of political courage bothered to ask bastardly rich politicians , how they made their billions and even trillions, after being in office for only 8 years of two terms of office , with no one accosting them how they made their political fortunes, while allowing them move freely with their political loot to mesmerize the rest of their fellow citizens, under the direct watch of the nation’s leadership and powers that be , making nonsense of the existence of the EFCC , which is rendered to a toothless bulldog in the unbiased assessment of Nigerians .
They want to hoodwink Ndigbo and cheat us over again, after mortgaging their souls and consciences to doing the bid of their Northern mentors against the collective Igbo interests.
Some of them have no credibility and lack apparent leadership qualities cum credentials, direly needed today, to move Nigeria out its political tsunami and dungeon.
Ndigbo knew the clandestine political activities of these political desperados and can never trust them again to be our political standard bearers in clinching Igbo’s turn of Presidential representation at Aso Rock .
They claim to be money bags , far from being visionary political bigwigs and zealots.
They refuse to appreciate the hard ball politics of contemporary times in Nigeria that days are gone , when the Igbos were treated as political outcasts , bootlickers , Butt cleaners of Northerners and regarded as inconsequential because the North had their field day in rubbishing our political interests , after realizing the importance of integrating Ndigbo in the political leadership of Nigeria and other scheme of things , after the Biafra-Nigeria Civil War .
The failures of past political leadership of Nigeria, most of whom came from the core North , to bury the ghost of the Civil War , fight for ethnic , peace reconciliation and treat every part of the country equally on the basis of justice, equity and fairness , as enshrined in our non autochthonous Constitution, is the bane of today’s political agitation for Biafra Referendum, Political Restructuring and other demands from the Federal Government .
These agitations will never end or be made to go away, no matter the political gambits of those currently on the political leadership saddle .
Nigerians badly need a change of leadership in the country and cannot wait to see it happen.
Only Senator Anyim holds the ace and political will to reshape Nigeria with his wealth of political, legislative, administrative , legal , intellectual, moral leadership experience, which would guarantee the hope forward for reuniting the country .
An APC government failed to use 8 years it arrogated itself to improve the lot of Nigerians.
To save Nigeria from being a laughing stock before the International Community, a change of government is desirably imminent, under the helmsmanship of Senator Anyim , whose charismatic leadership qualities and age are Presidential materials for the next political dispensation .
Nigeria is currently a sick nation and direly needs an expert Physician to get well and recover .
Senator Anyim is undoubtedly that Physician Nigeria needs at this moment of need , to gain a clean bill of health .
Our monstrous problems as a nation do not require politics of exclusion, seclusion, mudslinging , back knifing , toe scraping and use of vitriolic jargons to sell one’s non reputable, non existent, dishonorable personality .
Those making the hell of noise at running should be prepared to defend their records of public service and present themselves to the audience of public opinion and be ready to make appropriate restitutions for improprieties in office and should use their period of political opportunism to retire from active politics, and allow credible candidates, imbued with true spirit of public service to run and represent our people, instead of hanging in there , constituting themselves into political obstacles and spoilers of our democracy .
All citizens of the Igbo nation across the world and all lovers of progressive government , should rally their bulldozer support behind Senator Anyim , in his divinely approved Presidential bid .
That’s what Ndigbo should do , because it’s the right thing to do.
Rallying behind one credible candidate and stonewalling any attempt by the North to infiltrate , use and abuse us , as was the case in the past , is the most appropriate thing to do .
First fool is not foolish, but second fool is proper foolishness.
Things must get a head if we want to reclaim our political identity and accept integration into Nigerian Politics of today.
The days of arm chair politics , playing the ostrich and playing to the gallery, when we should be at the center of political action, refusing a second fiddle role, are gone for good .
We should today stand up to be counted and speak truth to power without mincing thoughts and words .
We must be prepared to hand over an enduring political legacy to our children and future generations, and keep the flame of fire of political courage alive and blazing , so that future generations of Ndigbo, would appreciate the sacrifice we made for their future.
It’s time to back Senator Anyim solidly to represent us and lead our nation to the long elusive promised land.
It’s the right thing to do .
Believe. Aspire and Achieve .
Happy New to Ndigbo where ever you may be in our planet.
May Chukwu Okike ABIAMARA, the God Almighty, Whom we trust , bring to perfect accomplishment, the great work He started in us for His Greater Glory.🙏
Barr Vitalis Unachukwu writes from the United States 🇺🇸