Jonathan has not failed Igbo –Mbadinuju

Former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju,
has affirmed that despite some unfulfilled promises of
President Goodluck Jonathan to the Southeast zone of the
country, he has not completely failed. In this interview, he
spoke on the need to continue with the election and ensure
that violence does not erupt, among other issues.
Dr. Ekwueme had said that President Jonathan might not get
bloc votes in the Southeast because he has not done much
for the region. Do you agree?
Ekwueme is an icon, highly intellectual, exceptional in
thoughts and a man who foresees the future. He is a man
with several academic degrees in various disciplines. Even
with the little I have said, his politics qualified him to have
ruled Nigeria as of right in terms of wisdom, knowledge and
understanding of life in Nigeria. He stopped Gen. Abacha and
propounded the six zone formula, which Nigeria adopted by
his intellect.
What he said of Jonathan is a clarion call and a kind of
warning to Jonathan and his campaigners that there is
problem which, if not nipped in the bud, may cause a problem.
Ekwueme sounded a warning that Igbo, who usually gave
Jonathan bloc votes were very restive and uncertain of what
to do.
As our political father, not just in the Southeast but beyond,
Ekwueme has done his duty to alert the Southeast that things
are no longer what they used to be. It is just a warning, a
strong one for that matter. It should not be neglected by
handlers of President Jonathan.
It is true that Jonathan has done fairly for the Igbo but life
has changed drastically since six years of his administration.
So, for the Igbo, they will remember that Zik once said that if
one must get what he wants, it must be “money for hand
back for ground”. The Igbo will not chop promises. There have
been many promises, which have not been executed and the
All Progressives Congress (APC) are now using the unfulfilled
promises, as a weapon against Igbo.
At the end Jonathan will still get votes. It may have depleted
compared to what it used to be but it won’t be alarming.
So, Ekwueme has said what he must say as an elder and it
was what all Igbo expected to hear from him. It is now time
for reconciliation and I noticed it has already started.
Do you honestly think that he will get bloc votes in most
parts of the country, considering the fact that the APC
presidential candidate seems to be getting more popular?
There are areas where the opposition will have an upper hand.
A politician who always gets bloc votes against everybody
else must be watched. APC may get bloc votes in some of
their constituencies, so also will Jonathan. In the South-East
for example, nothing will prevent Jonathan from getting up to
80 per cent votes.
Bloc votes do not mean one hundred per cent vote. When I
won my governorship election to become governor of Anambra
State, I scored 96 per cent of all the votes cast. I can then
talk of bloc votes. Our constitution provides that a contestant
must win, at least, 25 per cent votes, even in doubtful geo-
political areas. However, one must be careful since winning 25
per cent in all states and constituencies will not win the
election.
Jonathan and Buhari, each has areas of control where they
will have more votes than the other, and that’s why
candidates concentrate on big states with large voting
population. This year’s general election will be quite interest­
ing because there will be upsets. No one, as at now, can
predict what will happen because we know that voters change
their minds, depending on mistakes made by candidates
towards the end of the election.
Furthermore, Nigerians have not yet seen the popularity of any
particular party at this early stage of the campaign. What we
may see as popularity is still to come when mistakes continue
to mount and facts and figures are evaluated by Nigerians
both home and abroad. So as your question goes, it may be
too early to talk of bloc votes because lots of changes are in
the offing.
There have been controversies over the possibility of an
endorsement of the President by Ohanaeze Ndigbo. What’s
your take? Should the Southeast endorse him? And if so,
what do they stand to benefit?
Even without endorsement of Jonathan by Ohanaeze, Igbo see
Jonathan as their friend and brother and that sentiment has
been working for him. No candidate or politician so far has
succeeded in breaking the age-long relationship between
South-East and South-South.
That Jonathan is the candidate of the Igbo does not mean
that no Igbo will vote for another candidate but it will be just
a token. Jonathan may have wronged the Igbo for unfinished
promises like second Niger Bridge, Onitsha- Enugu Road,
Enugu-Aba Road, insecurity, power and some other neglects
the Igbo have suffered as against other parts of the country,
but still they support Jonathan and every government in
power. The much Igbo get is the hope that it shall be well.
At the end of the day, supporting Jonathan is an act of faith.
The Igbo have already gone into it and they are remaining in it
as another person may not treat them better. In addition, Igbo
do not joke with their elders, especially the Ohaneze Ndigbo.
When the time comes, the elders will determine where the Ibo
vote should go. Only then can they talk of “bloc votes”.
What’s your view on Rev. Mbaka’s statement that the
President has failed the Southeast?
Rev. Mbaka spoke for himself and not for Southeast, as Igbo
still remain republicans in nature. However, Rev. Mbaka is
covered by our constitution of freedom of religion and other
freedoms. The problem is that the Reverend did not read his
bible properly, particularly in Romans Chapter 13:1-6 where
the Bible makes it clear that “every person (including Rev.
Mbaka) must be loyally subject to the governing (civil)
authorities, for there is no authority except from God…”
Because we are covered by our constitution does not mean
that everyone is free to libel anyone.
If any political party supports such words as Rev. Mbaka
spoke in his homily, attacking Nigeria’s President, then that is
going outside the prescriptions of both the Bible and the
constitution. For political reasons, we must not incur the
wrath of God. Southeast geo-political zone of our country is a
Christian zone.
As your question goes, it is not completely true that President
Jonathan has failed the Southeast. Rather, party opponents
can take such position but Jonathan’s PDP will not accept
such insinuations. It may result into religious anarchy, which
should be avoided.