I have been married for about nine years now. My experience in my nearly a decade of being grafted to another being has taught me to maintain the sacrality of my union. No interloper allowed, even at times when the tempting thing to do is to succumb to the emotion of letting in an outsider.

I have come to understand that not all those, who come to grief with you or provide you a shoulder to recline on at your time of vulnerability are really ‘’grieving with you’’. Most will exploit your low point to arrogate to themselves some importance and even offer gratuitous suggestions to nail you to the wall of guilt.

This is the sitch of the Igbo in Nigeria today. Everyone is now an adroit opinionist on what the ethnic nationality must do to ‘’get presidency’’ as if the group is one undeserving lot that has to grovel to get its due.

I must admit we have our own peculiar challenges as a people, and so do other ethnic nationalities in the country.

Really, I reckon as condescending the statement of Ismaila Isa Funtua, an associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, that the South-East must review its ways of playing politics in order to get the presidency.

He said the Igbo do not play inclusive politics and they like “do things on their own”.

According to him, “They (Igbo) should belong. They should join the party. They want to do things on their own and because they are Igbo, we should dash them the president? That was the reason I said is it turn by turn Nigeria Limited?”

He also said, “With due respect to the Igbo, they fail to understand that when the South-West chose to remain on their own as opposition, they did not go near the power. To a large extent, the North in terms of religion and culture are closer to the South-West than to the South-East. When Alex Ekwueme contested (for the PDP ticket), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo defeated him.

“I know Nigerian politics, you chose your candidate who will be able to bring votes to you to win election, not on regional basis, not on tribal basis. Is he going to be the president of the North, East, South-West, South-South or whatever? If the Igbo wants to be president, then they must belong. If you don’t belong, then you can’t be the president.”

As a matter of fact, Funtua’s statement reeks of corpulent arrogance, bigotry and acute sense of entitlement. It reinforces the stereotype that his section of the country bullies any region that does not kiss the ring of the caliphate.

If Funtua says ‘’Nigeria is not turn by turn limited’’, then is our unity still non-negotiable? Why should any group stay in the union when they are by design sequestered from taking the lead role in the marriage? You cannot hold a people in abusive nuptials, and still insist on relegating them to subjects.

I need to emphasis this, we have always pledged to Nigeria’s unity. But we have not gone beyond this perfunctory humbug to work at it. How can we assert, “Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable”; yet we constantly chip away at the umbilical cord that holds us together?

It is obvious that the ‘’leadership quarantine’’ of the South-East is deliberate. The region may never be considered good enough to hold the highest office in the land no matter how much it bends over backwards. Really, what does Funtua mean by ‘’the Igbo must belong’’. They must submit themselves as vassals? I do not get it because there are many Igbo politicians and supporters of the APC. In fact, my staunchest critics are members of the APC from the South-East.

Political balance is a sine qua non for nation building. We cannot pontificate on unity and be insensitive to issues of political equity. The fons et origo of strife in society is inequity and imbalance.

How do we build an inclusive country with deeply lacerated political imbalances? How do we foster oneness with this depressing level insensitivity to matters of national unity? Igbo presidency in 2023 is an issue too critical to ignore.

A country as enormous, diverse and delicate as Nigeria cannot evolve organically when a part of it is marooned and confined to the fringes of political exclusion. The argument has always been, “the Igbo are not ready”, and “they are not playing the right politics”. But this argument is classically insipid and hollow. In fact, it is an untenable rationalisation of the marginalisation of the Igbo.

It is now a moral burden on Nigeria that a president of Igbo extraction emerges in 2023. If we are serious about our unity, then we must take cognisance of the country’s sensitivities. Our unity becomes truly not-negotiable, when all Nigerians matter.

Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist

@FredrickNwabufo

The Igbos must be allowed to be president in 2023

It was God that exposed the senile idiot.

I think now it's obvious why no Igbo man has been considered good enough for appointments not mandated by the constitution.

Look at what the man that has the ear of the President is saying.

It won't be long before the sun rises any way!

kayusely70:
The Igbos must be allowed to be president in 2023

which 2023 ? It may be achievable in the year 3039

Damn it.
I don't want Igbo presidency for certain reasons.
Mana mkparị this people dizi too much mehn.
PAP speed darlington has my vote come 2023

Igbo are greedy Yoruba's are betrayals Fulani are power Hungary Hausa are unambitious Ibibio are fearful


add your own fake but generally held belief that are prejudiced

kayusely70:
The Igbos must be allowed to be president in 2023

The way some of you talk is really funny. How should we allow Igbo to be president? The rest of Nigeria should force them to contest or what?

They’ve said repeatedly on this forum that they don’t want the presidency. Their 2023 aim is not to get the presidency but to stop the south west from getting it. When people now say Igbos are not ready to produce the president, they start crying and cursing all over the place.

Igbos candidate in 2023 is Atiku and they are proud of their choice. They will use the platform of their party - the PDP to support him and the rest of Nigeria will respect their decision. However, the APC will not join them in supporting Atiku. The ruling party will zone its ticket to the south and all willing aspirants can contest for the party’s ticket including Igbos.

seunmsg:


The way some of you talk is really funny. How should we allow Igbo to be president? The rest of Nigeria should force them to contest or what?

They’ve said repeatedly on this forum that they don’t want the presidency. Their 2023 aim is not to get the presidency but to stop the south west from getting it. When people now say Igbos are not ready to produce the president, they start crying and cursing all over the place.

Igbos candidate in 2023 is Atiku and they are proud of their choice. They will use the platform of their party - the PDP to support him and the rest of Nigeria will respect their decision. However, the APC will not join them in supporting Atiku. The ruling party will zone its ticket to the south and all willing aspirants can contest for the party’s ticket including Igbos.

Why assert what someone said as generality.

Igbos truly deserve to be president like any other ethnic group but you need to explain
how it will be in 2023.

kayusely70:
The Igbos must be allowed to be president in 2023

Esseite:


Why assert what someone said as generality.

Very many had said same thing and not just one person so why blaming others if they feel that that's the mindset of the average Igbo man?

kayusely70:
The Igbos must be allowed to be president in 2023

Nothing like must in politics... You sow then you reap.. Simple. Yes the south east have a good case, even the ebiras, igalas, efiks, irigwes, isoko, berom.... Bàbá Naija politics na you rub my back I rub yours not Ńa our turn ó.... See the Nass heads election..

Area4Area:
Very many had said same thing and not just one person so why blaming others if they feel that that's the mindset of the average Igbo man?

Who are the very many?.. everyone can only speak for themselves.

you all IGBO EFULEFUS WHO WANTS TO HOLD ON TO YOUR POLITICAL ALLIES AND OFFICES WILL KEEP BEGGING AND WASTING THE FUTURE OF IGBOS OUT OF GREED.....THE TRUTH REMAINS WE ARE NOT A PART OF NIGERIA AND WILL NEVER BE.....OUR USEFULNESS IN NIGERIA IS JUST TO GREASE AND SERVICE THE DEPT INCURRED BY NIGERIA.....THE EARLIER IT SINKS INTO THE BRAIN OF A COMMON IGBO MAN ON THE STREET THE EARLIER WE SAVE THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN BECAUSE AS OF OUR OWN FUTURE THEY HAVE SOLD TO CHINA

Esseite:


Why assert what someone said as generality.

Actually, what I wrote is the opinion of the generality of Igbos as expressed on social media platforms and not the assertion of just someone.

seunmsg:


Actually, what I wrote is the opinion of the generality of Igbos as expressed on social media platforms and not the assertion of just someone.

Igbos generally don't care for the presidency. The Igbos want secession or restructuring in the interim.

nku5:


Igbos generally don't care for the presidency. The Igbos want secession or restructuring in the interim.

Esseite.

Perkins2018:


Esseite.

Kupai mari mari chupaku

If i am Isa Funtua, i would issue a state and beg Ibos for forgiveness and further ask them not to belong and expect 2023.

.

We don't need Igbo presidency again 2003 we need Biafra

Is possible for an Igbo man to be Nigeria president

Is not possible for an Igbo man to be president