How IPOB And The Igbo Political Elites Can Save Igboland -By Henry Chukwuemeka Onyema

The ruling on Thursday 26 October by a High Court in Enugu on IPOB (the Indigenous People of Biafra) is the premise for this article. It is no longer news that the court, presided over by Justice A.O. Onovo made the following rulings:  the proscription of IPOB as an illegal terrorist organization is illegal and unconstitutional; that both the Federal Government and Eastern governors erred in this regard thus they should pay a compensation of eight billion naira to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader, and publish an apology letter to him in three national newspapers.  By virtue of the ruling the court determined that the quest for self-determination, which is the raison d’être of IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, cannot be used as a basis for arresting, detaining and prosecuting the IPOB leader.

Whether the Federal Government and State Governors will abide by the judgment is another matter. But it is only one in a series of rulings from Nigeria’s own legal system that invalidates the continued detention of Kanu and the proscription of IPOB.  Having said this, the fact is that in a struggle like the one between Kanu and the Nigerian state, there are many realities that must be dealt with: legal, political, and even social, to mention a few.

The fact is this: the challenge of the Igbo cannot be wished away. If Nigeria must mean anything than an oppressor state to the Igbo, certain measures and standards must be considered and adhered to. And while the central government under President Tinubu must take fundamental steps, the searchlight of this article is on the Igbo political elite at all tiers of government and even outside the formal state structure but are influential in the corridors of power.  Can they be seen to taking charge of the momentum presented by this court ruling to do the needful for Igboland, IPOB and Kanu?

First, irrespective of political inclinations, they should speak with one voice on matters relating to justice, equity and integrity for the Igbo and every other Nigerian. Dear Igbo elite’, keeping silent over Kanu’s detention and maltreatment of IPOB hurts YOUR interests. I am not asking you to be violent or carry a placard demanding for Biafra.  I am asking you not to be neutral on this matter because the very laws of the Nigerian state have unbound Mazi Kanu and now deproscribed IPOB.  The hard truth is that the current insecurity in the East might not be totally eradicated if these court rulings on Kanu and IPOB are fully executed but implementing them will go a very long way in significantly creating a conducive environment for restoring peace in the East.

But the Igbo political elite, especially the political machinery in charge of the states, see a free Kanu as a threat to their power games. They see him and IPOB as bitter rivals for the hearts and minds of the Igbo. Truth be told: while IPOB’s language may be incendiary and some of their devices questionable, they speak what is in the hearts of most Igbo, from Owerri to Abakaliki to Asaba. The Igbo political elite continue to tie their interests to pandering to a centralized system that still perceives the Igbo from the lens of a civil war that supposedly ended more than fifty years ago. But in the last thirty or so years a generation of Igbo have arisen to say no to being regarded as inferior human beings in Nigeria. I concede that at times they go overboard; their arguments at times are spurious; lunatic fringes among them do not know the dividing line between agitation and criminality. But they are most likely the answer to Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s prayer in 1997 that God should give the Igbo race ‘ndi ala.’ (madmen).

The greatest political dreamer is one who does not realize that yesterday’s enemy can be today’s friend and tomorrow’s ally. Now that the courts have spoken and will most likely still speak on IPOB and Kanu, can the Igbo political elite, including pressure groups, sincerely reach out to IPOB on the basis of equality and mutual interest of preserving Igboland. Believe it or not, if Igboland goes up in flames, the Igbo elite will not be spared.  This is a cold assessment of the realities on ground. The agenda is not about breaking up Nigeria, no.  It should be about restructuring Nigeria so that all units are significantly empowered over their affairs, and the centre’s dominance is drastically reduced. It is about a constitution that reflects the people’s aspirations. It is about the East being on an equal footing with other geopolitical zones. It is about the removal of artificial ceilings on legitimate aspirations of all Nigerians in any part of the country. It is about equitable federal presence in Eastern Nigeria. Can our Igbo elite rise beyond personal and group interests to work with IPOB to achieve these goals?

At first glance it looks unrealistic, if not impossible. A lot of bad blood has passed under the bridge. Lives have been needlessly lost. But it is in the enlightened self-interest of both sides to exert the will. A historical parallel may help bring matters into focus. Back in 1988/1989, William De Klerk, then apartheid leader of South Africa, could have continued treating the anti apartheid movement as enemies. After all Nelson Mandela and company were rotting in jail. The South African military was doing a good job butchering the young black agitators in the townships. But Klerk saw that there was a limit to which his Afrikaans interest could be maintained with such a disposition. And that limit was fast being reached.

Our Igbo elite must hear and accept this truth in their interest. As of today, Abuja, the centre of Nigeria’s misshapened federal system, is not favourable to the Igbo. It matters not how many big Igbo political shots are in the ruling party. In the eyes of the Abuja Establishment the Igbo should be distrusted or at best, given arm’s length accommodation. The February presidential election and its fallout starkly brought up the antipathy of Abuja against the Igbo which simmered from the Buhari era. Hopefully, Tinubu, being more politically savvy than his jackboot predecessor, may adopt the fundamental creed of first-rate politicians towards the Igbo: no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.  Given this scenario, it will do the Igbo political elite a world of good to have their people behind them.  Being on the same page as IPOB in working for the strategic interests of the Igbo will go a long way in achieving this objective.  Perhaps the first step in this regard is the Igbo state governors promptly obeying the court and formally deproscribing IPOB in all of Igboland.  Can the likes of Chief Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State and Alex Otti of Abia State be willing to have serious and sincere negotiations with Kanu and other senior IPOB leaders without seeing them as threats or selling them out?

Henry C. Onyema is an author and historian. In 2020 he published a novella titled ‘In Love and In War.’ Email: henrykd2009@yahoo.com.