Nigerian Politics And Lessons From Enugu State -By Festus Adedayo

Enugu State is perhaps handing over some very practical lessons of life, politics and society to the rest of the world. During the week, gladiators in the state politics entered into a reconciliation that pleasantly baffled the rest of society. A political group that goes by the name Ebeano, which had been producing the political leadership of Enugu for the last 21 years, recently came together to articulate its path to further grips of the state.

Ebeano had suffered serious damage in the last two decades. The group began to mirror contradictions that usually emanate from a group of such magnitude, shortly after eight years of being in power and rising to become a political behemoth. Members rose against one another and these multiple spats were going to lead to the sudden death of the group. Though three governors of the same family – Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi – belonged to the same group, they manifested fissiparous tendencies which threatened to swallow the group.

The Ebeano group produced the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who was former Secretary to the Government of Enugu State; Ugwuanyi, ex-Reps Member; Frank Nweke Junior, ex-Minister; Ambassadors and so many others.

The hugest arrowheads of the dissent between the group were Nnamani and Chime. Allegations of treachery were bandied which badly polarized the group. Ebeano was going to die a natural death until providence used Ugwuanyi to bring back the group.

The most moving force of the reconciliation, it was learnt, was Nnamani, the group’s leader, who reportedly called his long-term political beneficiary and of recent adversary, who he single-handedly made governor – Chime – having allegedly betrayed him. Nnamani reportedly called Chime and asked that they should reconcile. “We are in our 60s and we should not go to our graves with bitterness,” Nnamani was said to have told Chime.

Chime also did well by visiting his secondary school friend, ex-boss and erstwhile enemy, at his Ojiagu village, Agbani, Nkanu West Local Government Area home at the close of last week.

Nigerian politicians, their followers, leaders and the led have a lot of lessons to pick from the reconciliation in Enugu. The state was one of the first examples of political betrayals and near-collapse of a closely-knit political empire. Humility of political leadership and the vanity of all that man holds aloft is another lesson.