Igbos Vote Based On Their Stomach, Says Soyinka

Nobel Laureate and foremost social critic, Wole Soyinka, is of the opinion that Nigerians of Igbo extraction are the only people in the country who can be predicted accurately.


Delivering a lecture titled ‘Predicting Nigeria, Electoral Ironies’ at the Harvard University Hutchins Centre for African & African American Research, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, the revered scholar described people from that part of the country as politically matured.

“Igbos remained unrepentant and resolute towards their strategic objective of secession at worst; or a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction at best,” he said at the lecture, which held on April 29.

“The climax of MASSOB’s war against the Nigerian state was the call for sit-ins and civil disobedience that shut down markets and public services, as Igbos stayed at home in a symbolic gesture to assert Biafran independence. The call was honoured by governors in the two principal Ibo states, though without fanfare.

“The Igbos are probably the only group of Nigerians that you can predict with great accuracy whom they will vote for in an election, because they tend to put their votes where their stomachs take them; this is the greatest height of political maturity as matured voters vote for a government that will ensure their welfare economically. Why would someone vote for a president that will clamp down on your business, kill their people, or institute policies that will prevent a free flow of business? Voters always consider their stomach (means of income) first before they vote. The Igbo people were rightly apprehensive of the Buhari candidacy because of his past and they are rightly so. We should not hold it against them as they rightly believed a Goodluck Jonathan government would do more for them than that of a former unrepentant dictator like Buhari.”

Commenting on the result of Nigeria’s presidential election, Soyinka said the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan would have been “disastrous”, as Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president-elect, is better option.

“Muhammadu Buhari was the better of the two evils as the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan had been an unmitigated disaster and failure,” he said.

“It was a painful decision to tell people to vote Buhari, but the country needed a new beginning. I was more against Jonathan, than I was pro-Buhari.

“Nothing is more unworthy of leadership than to degrade a system by which one attains fulfillment, and this is what the nation witnessed time and time again under Jonathan.

“The ‘militricians’ – soldiers turned politicians in power – aren’t looking for excellence; their civilian cohorts are worse. Short cuts and how to circumvent the system for the profit of a few are the norm of governance. Those who do honest work are derided as lacking the skill to fit it. Ironically, things haven’t quite changed a bit after 16 years of democracy in the country.

It will be interesting to see if the Igbos are correct in their rejection of Buhari or not. If Buhari engages in a government of vendatta as he normally does, then the Igbos would have been the greater minds that they usually are; but if he puts together a government for all and engages the Igbos in ways that would benefit them economically and infrastructure wise, then it would be an opportunity to bring them back into the Nigerian political mainstream. [b]The Igbos have shown that they are united, smart, and a formidable force politically”

[/b]Sule Ahmed -- New York

#Babamustfulfilhispromises

Rt

hmmm

If the above is what he said, then that is much better.

I am not sure which is correct of all these ''you-say-I-no-say'' claims and counterclaims. But it seems apparent that some yet-to be identified Yoruba persons somewhere are instigating hatred against Igbos

Everybody in this world votes in an election based on their stomach (job creation, projects, etc) and that (stomach) is figuratively used.

Now tell me, why did Yorubas vote for Buhari?
Why did the North vote for Buhari?
Did they vote for the fun of it or for the belief that he will butter their bread (provide jobs, etc)?
If so, why should there be an attempt by certain Yoruba elements to deny Igbos the right to believe that GEJ is in a better position to butter their bread?

Apparently there are two or more versions of this story. However, only one must be correct
So Soyinka should find out who manipulated his statements. That is the person causing this confusion

looks like a gun was pointed on his head when he was saying this.. the nígga is confused af. every being in a country wants the best for their country both economically and other wise. there's a lot of tribalism in this country, don't make it worse. Igbos want to satisfy their stomach so do Yorubas and Hausas. we all want the best for our dear Country.