18.02.2016
Finally, the dust has settled and it appears Ebonyi may begin to pick up its respect if it does not drift into winner-takes-it-all. Last year, Ebonyians put their hands on the arc of history and bent it towards the hope of better days. The election contest lingered till last month. However, with the Supreme Court ruling validating the victory of Gov. Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State, the law has spoken and spoken clearly.
Law is the foundation of our social contract. It law does not reconcile interests but persons reconcile their differences with the inevitable whenever law has spoken. Law fixes blame, but people sort out their problems. Edon and Dave should shield their swords in the interest of Ndi Ebonyi who will be ultimate losers should the war be stretched further. After all, it only 2015 election for us to know they have different opinions on how Ebonyi should be governed.
The natural tendency in man is to win a war and from there launch another war; unfortunately history is littered with those whose victory in particular war could not bring respite. They dismissed possible defeats but met waterloo not at the end of their ambition but just at the mid-way. I have just mentioned ‘waterloo’ to bring to historical minds the memory of Napoleon Bonaparte, the great warrior. If he had rested to after his initial triumphs that word ‘waterloo’ would not have been bequeathed to English glossary. He won wars but ended up in prison as a captive. And from personal experience he warned ambitious kings to be sure that “No one can lie on the beds of kings without catching from it madness of destruction, I, too have gone mad.”
Since July 2014, Ebonyi has been in cold election war. The war was interesting as it was dramatic. It was like all devils were sent on asylum in Ebonyi. The people enjoyed it somehow but were also the major victims. One could not pass three cars in Ebonyi without seeing one decorated with party logo and portraits of our politicians, our lairs-in-chief handsomely noised to look like 20-year old. Some party fans hung the picture of the contestants in their bedrooms; some even replaced Jesus and T. B Joshua’s portrait with the pictures of their candidates. There was nothing we didn’t see. Politicians’ effigies were just everywhere you go- people’s tea mug, slip-ons, boxes of matchsticks, rice bags, basins, name them. Those permanent means of homage meant that some would then quote their phrases, imitate their mannerism, and be ready to fight for their favoured candidates.
The mob followership where people could not distinguish candidates from their political parties will remain a sore in Ebonyi political history. Once a candidate was a member of a party one had an interest, it didn’t matter whether he or she is a thief, dishonest, illiterate, or diabolic. In this way, we bundled together the beauty and the beast into political offices to decide our posterity till God knows when.
Now that it is over, we expect the rival parties to demonstrate spirit of sportsmanship and reconcile themselves with the inevitable. Supporters of the PDP may never be comfortable with the idea of reconciliation because we often build our rise to greatest in displacement of others. Supporters of the Labour Party, many of whom are now in the APC may in defense of ego consider retreating to make the state ungovernable. Unfortunately, both ways of thinking are too old for the 21st century human relations.
Two persons hold Ebonyi development in the few years ahead. One is Gov Dave Umahi; next is Arc Dr Edward Nkwegu. I will cite an example.
In 2008, John McCain told his supporters in his concession speech: ‘My friends, we have—we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, I had the honour of calling Senator Barrack Obama- to congratulate him-please—to congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country we both love.’
In response, Barrack Obama in his acceptance speech told his supporters that few hours earlier he received a gracious call from John McCain congratulating him. He praised his patriotism for the country which both of them love and expressed his readiness to work with him.
This is an option before Edon and Umahi at the moment. Edon has fought like a man following his conscience in pursuing what he thought was his mandate, the law might not have agreed with him but we admit that he was willing to push his case. Though Dave has prevailed, many of those differences may still remain. But politics is like sports, it is not always the fastest runner who that gets prize, often the fastest are disqualified and at other times, the slowest employ tactics to outwit the fastest.
Edon must recognize that Ebonyi is facing difficult times. He has to pledge his support to do all in his power to help the governor lead us through the challenges we face. He should urge his supporters to join in offering their goodwill to Umahi not just because the court has affirmed his election but because politics is sport-like.
Gov Umahi as a goal-getter has a pride no one can take from him. He has taught younger generation that with the determination, one can get to any height. In a contest as long and difficult as the campaign was, his success in penetrating quarters alone commands respect for his ability and perseverance. He has inspired hopes in so many people who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of a governor. Looked at from every angle, he was not to be the likeliest governor but providence made it so.
As the governor rides on the Supreme Court victory, he has to be cautious that with freedom comes responsibility. The first crime against victory is going vindictive. Fighting back is laden with problems because reactionary politics will postpone response to Ebonyi problems. It is also politically suicidal not to offer your opponents a hand of fellowship. Against like advice of his main suppoerters, loyalty is what Gov Dave should admire in his opponents because they did not abandon their common master in his rainy days.
What should worry the governor is that average Ebonyians live on less than 50 cent per day. That even as government is left only with hard option increase the IGR through multiple taxations, there are many Ebonyi mothers and fathers who lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they will buy their cough syrup, and save little to send them to school.
Many Ebonyi communities are at war; one is last week reported dead and another missing in Ngbo/Benue crisis. Killing of innocent road users is on and off at Ezillo-Ezza cold conflict. Ikwo/Adadamma war is not over just as Igbeagu/Ukelle border issue is a time-bomb waiting to explode. Our youths are not just unemployed but many with closer political affiliation are unemployable.
Let us not forget that the wounds of last elections have not be properly lacerated. With many sophisticated weapons in the hands of many angry and idle youths, the future is bleak. Elections of village heads in Igbeagu community for instance is hotly contested as presidency because party influence.
For an appeal, not one more stretching of differences will do Ebonyi any good. Dave and Edon must find the necessary political compromises, bridge the differences, and help restore Ebonyi prosperity, defend Ebonyi security in a dangerous Nigeria. They must resist the temptation to yield to the contrary wish of their supporters and fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our politics for so long.
I put it to Dave and Edon to sort themselves out, diffuse the tension and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better state than we inherited. Whatever it is they are fellow Ebonyians and there is no association that means more to us than that. God bless Ala Ebonyi!
