NDIGBO AND NATIONAL POLITICS On January 2 1958, Ekwueme Associates Estate and Town Planning was registered. That was the first architecural firm in Nigeria. Dr. Alex Ekwueme went on to have a lucrative architecture practice, with offices all over the country. Before the elections of 1979, he wound up his practice in order to contest. In an interview with a Hausa newspaper, he alludes to how he was appointed running mate to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the presidential aspirant of the NPN, in an ostensibly transparent process. Reliable sources say, however, that Alex donated #1 million naira to the NPN, and it appears the donation helped his fortunes in no small measure. The Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP)fielded Nnamdi Azikiwe in the presidential elections, though they were mainly seen as an Igbo party. The Second Republic was deposed in 83, amid allegations of widespread corruption and massive vote rigging. Since the Civil war, the Igbos have been playing second fiddle. Alex Ekwueme failed to clinch the PDP presidential ticket in 1999. APGA, a regional party that has Odimegwu Ojukwu as national leader, has failed to garner widespread relevance and recognition. Its leadership is in continued chaos. Today, the greatest support base of the PDP and President Jonathan. Ask what the PDP has done for the southeast since 1999. Abia state has been wrecked by consecutive administrations of Orji Kalu and Theodore Orji. Imo state is not better. I see a people addicted to bad government. Whats up with Ebonyi, how about the 2nd Niger bridge? If PDP wins national elections this year, power is expected to shift to the North in 2019. It will be 8 years before the PDP shifts power to the South. The southwest may likely win the presidency in 2027. We will give them till 2035, and vote in a Northerner again. Perhaps, an Igbo will be president in 2043. I shall be ready. I hope we keep up the tribal politics. In the meantime, paid propagandists will give us compelling reasons why the PDP is the way, the truth and the life. Igbo ekelee mu unu! LISTEN TO EKWUEME EXPLAIN ETHNIC POLITICS FOR A SECOND: Your last attempt at the presidency was the nearest for any person of Igbo ethnicity. How do you foresee an Igbo presidency in the nearest future ? Well, it’s something that has to be based on structural refinement. I don’t think any Nigerian will be happy if his regional block or ethnic block or geo-political block is seem to be excluded from vying for the highest office in the land for whatever reason. In 1987 I understand Umaru Dikko gave a press conference in London after he escaped from here where he said that the coup which took place in December 1983 was put in place by the Army to prevent me from taking over from Shagari in 1987 and they didn’t want it to linger till that time so they decided to do it at a time we were complaining of the elections, hoping that they would receive the sympathy of non NPN supporters. I don’t know how Umaru got his information but that is what he said. Then in 1999, the same scenario played itself out in a different way. Also in 2003. You know the format was that presidency was just a single term. Now if I had won in 1999, by 2003 I would have served one term and it goes to the North East with a vice president from South South to serve one term. By 2007 a south-south man would have served as a president and he would have someone from Northwest as his Vice so by 2011, a person from Northwest will be president with a VP from South West. By now we would have the opportunity for every geopolitical zone to produce a president and I am persuaded that every geo-political zone in this country has competent man power and can serve in the highest office in the land. It appears that there is a concerted effort to prevent a particular zone from achieving that purpose and its not going to be a very healthy development for the country. premiumtimesng/features-and-interviews/149627-interview-scuttled-obasanjos-election-1999-alex-ekwueme.html
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 12:07:35 +0000