By Obinna Akukwe
The shameless sale of Igbo presidency and Igbo interests by Ohaneze
to the highest bidder has attracted the frank opprobrium of Senator Uche
Chukwuerije. In a submission he sent to the Igbo Elders,South East
Governors, and members of the 11 man committee set-up by the Governors
on 27th January towards resolving the Ohaneze crisis
, Chukwumerije warned that as 2015 approaches, there will be more
massive attempts to bribe the body . According to him ’’The
increasing heat of 2015 politics, already smouldering, will reach its
zenith in 18months time, bringing in its train even more massive
attempts than hitherto to buy off the corporate integrity of Ohanaeze’’ .
He dismissed the election of January12th as a farce and called for
fresh elections or the setting up of a Council of Elders to supervise
the present leadership for only one term . According to the Senator
‘’ The lethal potential of the ripples of the electoral farce of Jan 12
cannot be overstated. It is a case in which the letters of Ohanaeze’s
Constitution were skillfully used to destroy the spirit of the
Constitution. Self-serving legalism now threatens to destroy the
legitimacy of Ohanaeze leadership and alienate the followership. The
grim harvest has begun with the unprecedented open rebellion of three
state-members.’’
He warned that the crisis ‘’if unchecked will be a poisoned arrow
at the heart of Ohanaeze. We must save Ohanaeze. The burden of history
lies on your shoulders, the elders”. Lamenting on
the personalization of Ohaneze for four years by the Uwechue
leadership, Chukwumerije wondering how the situation degenerated to
extent “ in which key organs of Ohanaeze like Ime-Obi and General
Assembly could be dispensed with for over a year while the leadership
loudly and regularly proclaim policies and priorities on behalf of
Ndigbo all over the media speaks eloquently of a solo performance, Non
institutionalization of its organs leaves Ohanaeze open to manipulation
by any President-General and his captive Executive Committee”. He warned of the consequences of Ohaneze failing saying that’’. If
Ohanaeze collapses today or merely vegetates along as an unfruitful
tree in the desert, your ancestors will hold you accountable. History
will not forgive you.”
Senator Comrade Chukwumerije has been on the forefront of efforts to
sanitize Ohaneze so that Igbo interests could be articulated without the
undue influence from the government of the day. The Ohaneze chieftains,
disturbed by the unwholesome monetization of the body, initiated this
internal cleaning exercise in May last year when they set up a 10-man
committee headed by Chief Chris Asoluka( Vice President) and Chief Nduka
Eya( Secretary General) to investigate all allegations of fraud and
diversion of funds through Ohaneze Foundation and Ohaneze Centre For
Effective Leadership and their reports indicted a few persons.
Below is the full report submitted by Senator Chukwumerije to Igbo Elders and Governors
Elders Save Ohaneze
Unprecedented in kind and scope, the crisis presently confronting
Ohanaeze demands more than a mandatory placebo. It offers us a strategic
opportunity to deal with the fundamental and foundational defects of
the organization. If such an approach is ignored in favour of expediency
and status-quo-reinforcing compromise, Ohanaeze will continue its
downward spiral to irrelevance, at best a distracting tragic-comedy to
mainstream flow of Ibo resurgence and at worst a casino for all Nigerian
political businessmen.
The lethal potential of the ripples of the electoral farce of Jan 12
cannot be overstated. It is a case in which the letters of Ohanaeze’s
Constitution were skillfully used to destroy the spirit of the
Constitution. Self-serving legalism now threatens to destroy the
legitimacy of Ohanaeze leadership and alienate the followership. The
grim harvest has begun with the unprecedented open rebellion of three
state-members.
This crisis if unchecked will be a poisoned arrow at the heart of
Ohanaeze. We must save Ohanaeze. The burden of history lies on your
shoulders, the Elders.
My humble suggestion is that we must avoid ad hominem- name-calling.
Instead of blaming persons, let us identify what went wrong and seek a
lasting solution.
What went wrong?
In summary, three.
One: Atrophy of Ohanaeze’s organs.
The constitution is so silent on the modes of operation of the organs
that they are either moribund or merely vegetate as shadows of the
command module (the office of the President-General). The result is
personalization of roles. The low institutionalization of Ohanaeze
structure has a long history, but we must use this opportunity to give
Ohanaeze a sound participatory framework. A situation in which key
organs of Ohanaeze like Ime-Obi and General Assembly could be dispensed
with for over a year while the leadership loudly and regularly proclaim
policies and priorities on behalf of Ndigbo all over the media speaks
eloquently of a solo performance, Non institutionalization of its organs
leaves Ohanaeze open to manipulation by any President-General and his
captive Executive Committee.
Two: Lack of a popular base.
From Local Government through State tier to Ohanaeze’s national
elections, the extent of wide popular participation is most marginal and
narrow. Ohanaeze has always been caught between two models of
participation – either universal adult suffrage (as in democratic
political parties) or selective representative participation through a
network of town unions (as in Igbo State Union). It practices neither.
The result is a hybrid model that is accountable only in its elitist
self.
Three: Distortion of the Constitution.
The intendment of the Constitution of any organization, especially a
cultural body demanding a high level of confraternity and mutual trust,
is at least as important as the letters of the Law. To interpret Article
11 (On mode of election) to mean that anyone could go directly to the
centre to compete for a national office without the intermediary primary
of his/her state elections is indeed legally correct but this is a
brutal assassination of the spirit of the stipulation. The use of these
two key phrases – “ELECTED BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY” and FROM ALL
INTERESTED CANDIDATES FROM THE STATE” simply underlines the necessity of
an integrated procedure in which the states and Ohanaeze engage in
constructive cooperation. This means a seamless sequence, a joint
enterprise in which the grass roots of a home base and the central
loyalties of Ohanaeze share responsibility in recruiting Igbo leaders
known to and supported by the masses. The Constitution devised this as a
bridge between the cultural and political spaces of Igbo governance.
For one side to ride rough-shod over the feelings of the other side is
to destroy the mutual respect and harmony that comes from such
partnership. The result will be an ill wind to all sides. History of
Nigeria is replete with cases of silent, but carefully managed, tension
between ruling political bodies and overreaching cultural organizations.
The last Ohanaeze election betrayed arrogant disdain for the lessons of
history.
What is to be done?
Again, I’ll be brief.
Two options:
Option A: Option Clean Slate
This means dissolution of the new executive, installation of a
caretaker interim body, and a period of two months to return Ohanaeze to
strict compliance with the rule of law, in its spirit and letter.
The advantage of this approach is to destroy and reverse the fast
growing negative tradition of in-breeding and self elitism, which has
begun to characterize access to Ohanaeze leadership. But the
disadvantage is mind-boggling. It may result in the mess of seeking to
unscramble scrambled eggs. It will open a floodgate of mercenary
politicization, which could deal the final deathblow to Ohanaeze.
Option B: Transition option
This means the retention of the present executive for only one term,
while structural organizations of Ohanaeze by a Council of Elders works
space and concludes a restructuring programme within eighteen months.
The advantage of this approach is that it allows sleeping dogs to lie
and projects to the outside world a positive image of a people with
self-regulatory capacity. But the disadvantage is the unpredictability
of human behavior in a long land-minded period of 24 months. The
increasing heat of 2015 politics, already smouldering, will reach its
zenith in 18months time, bringing in its train even more massive
attempts than hitherto to buy off the corporate integrity of Ohanaeze.
Road Map
If option B is preferred, I suggest the following remedial measures:
1. A strong Council of Elders or a Sanitized Ime-Obi to act as
the highest authority of Ohanaeze. Whether Council of Elders or Ime-Obi,
the principle is guardianship by a body of mature, experienced elders,
as in traditional Igbo governance. A reorganized Ime-Obi should do this
job of effective oversight over Ohanaeze Executive Council. It can be
recalled that our original Ime-Obi was indeed a hallowed gathering of
elders and pre-eminent Igbos. The criteria for membership of this body
must be clearly re-defined today.
2. The new executive should be summoned to a meeting in which the
elders should in true Igbo tradition discuss with them confidentially
and frankly issues of proven improprieties, especially distribution of
financial rewards among themselves and illegalities in the election that
brought them to power. The Elders should secure an undertaking that the
new rulers will not perpetrate such improprieties in future, and must
respect the guardian role of Council of Elders or Ime-Obi as a mandatory
clearing house for policies
3. The Elders should embark on a peace offensive mission to
Ebonyi Government and other aggrieved parties to effect a reconciliation
of all alienated parties as members of one Igbo family.
4. Immediate establishment of a constitutional review committee
to review Ohanaeze Constitution and cure detected flaws (e.g.
operationalization of the organs, electoral delineation of status of
components or status or states strictly on basis of demographic indices,
ideal mode of popular participation, clear definition of Ime-Obi (as a
new council of Elders), hierarchy of decision-making organs, management
of finance, etc).
5. Establishment of a committee to recover effective ownership
and assets of Ohanaeze Foundation, Ohanaeze Transport, Ohanaeze Centre
for Leadership and any other outfit registered in the name of Ohanaeze.
High commendation should be given to the originator of these schemes
which, If well managed can cure Ohanaeze’s recurring headache of lack f
funds.
6. In further appreciation of the pivotal role of the Ohanaeze in
the battle for self-empowerment and resurgence of Ndigbo, you, the
Elders, should facilitate the emergence of a central think-tank for
Ndigbo. Such a think-tank should be the central point of articulation of
group vision, planning and harmonization, drawing its membership from
the leaderships of three spaces – political (forum of governors),
cultural (Ohanaeze) and business (South Eastern Nigeria Economic Summit.
Conclusion
Elders, where is Ikenga Ndigbo? What has happened to our pristine
virtues of selfless service, integrity and courage? What has happened to
our famed magic of Enyi mba spirit?
Please think of our yesterday’s glory. Fifty years ago, Igbo State
Union was the toast of Nigeria as a model development instrument in a
plural comity. Our fathers, the founders of Igbo State Union, were so
successful that in a short period of thirty years the Union took Ndigbo
from the lowest rung of social recognition to the top of Nigeria’s major
power brokers. You, Elders can repeat this feat. If Ohanaeze collapses
today or merely vegetates along as an unfruitful tree in the desert,
your ancestors will hold you accountable. History will not forgive you.
Thank you. May you live till ripe old age.
Comrade Uche Chukwumerije, Senato
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