Jonathan has not failed Ndigbo , says Mbadinuju

Former governor of Anam­bra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, has affirmed that despite some unfulfilled promises of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Southeast zone of the country, he has not completely failed.

www.odogwublog.com brings you this interview, where he spoke on the need to continue with the elec­tion and ensure that violence does not erupt, among other issues.

Dr. Ekwueme had said that Presi­dent Jonathan might not get bloc votes in the Southeast because he has not done much for the region. Do you agree?

Ekwueme is an icon, highly intellectual, ex­ceptional in thoughts and a man who foresees the future. He is a man with several academic degrees in various disciplines. Even with the little I have said, his politics qualified him to have ruled Nigeria as of right in terms of wisdom, knowledge and understanding of life in Nigeria. He stopped Gen. Abacha and pro­pounded the six zone formula, which Nigeria adopted by his intellect.

What he said of Jonathan is a clarion call and a kind of warning to Jonathan and his campaigners that there is problem which, if not nipped in the bud, may cause a problem. Ekwueme sounded a warning that Igbo, who usually gave Jonathan bloc votes were very restive and uncertain of what to do.

As our political father, not just in the South­east but beyond, Ekwueme has done his duty to alert the Southeast that things are no longer what they used to be. It is just a warning, a strong one for that matter. It should not be neglected by handlers of President Jonathan.

It is true that Jonathan has done fairly for the Igbo but life has changed drastically since six years of his administration. So, for the Igbo, they will remember that Zik once said that if one must get what he wants, it must be “money for hand back for ground”. The Igbo will not chop promises. There have been many promises, which have not been executed and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are now using the unfulfilled promises, as a weapon against Igbo.

At the end Jonathan will still get votes. It may have depleted compared to what it used to be but it won’t be alarming.

So, Ekwueme has said what he must say as an elder and it was what all Igbo expected to hear from him. It is now time for reconciliation and I noticed it has already started.

Do you honestly think that he will get bloc votes in most parts of the country, considering the fact that the APC presidential candidate seems to be getting more popular?

There are areas where the opposition will have an upper hand. A politician who always gets bloc votes against everybody else must be watched. APC may get bloc votes in some of their constituencies, so also will Jonathan. In the South-East for example, nothing will prevent Jonathan from getting up to 80 per cent votes.

Bloc votes do not mean one hundred per cent vote. When I won my governorship election to become governor of Anambra State, I scored 96 per cent of all the votes cast. I can then talk of bloc votes. Our constitution provides that a contestant must win, at least, 25 per cent votes, even in doubtful geo- politi­cal areas. However, one must be careful since winning 25 per cent in all states and constitu­encies will not win the election.

Jonathan and Buhari, each has areas of con­trol where they will have more votes than the other, and that’s why candidates concentrate on big states with large voting population. This year’s general election will be quite interest­ing because there will be upsets. No one, as at now, can predict what will happen because we know that voters change their minds, depend­ing on mistakes made by candidates towards the end of the election.

Furthermore, Nigerians have not yet seen the popularity of any particular party at this early stage of the campaign. What we may see as popularity is still to come when mistakes continue to mount and facts and figures are evaluated by Nigerians both home and abroad. So as your question goes, it may be too early to talk of bloc votes because lots of changes are in the offing.

There have been controversies over the possibility of an endorsement of the President by Ohanaeze Ndigbo. What’s your take? Should the South­east endorse him? And if so, what do they stand to benefit?

Even without endorsement of Jonathan by Ohanaeze, Igbo see Jonathan as their friend and brother and that sentiment has been work­ing for him. No candidate or politician so far has succeeded in breaking the age-long rela­tionship between South-East and South-South.

That Jonathan is the candidate of the Igbo does not mean that no Igbo will vote for another candidate but it will be just a token. Jonathan may have wronged the Igbo for unfinished promises like second Niger Bridge, Onitsha- Enugu Road, Enugu-Aba Road, insecurity, power and some other neglects the Igbo have suffered as against other parts of the country, but still they support Jonathan and every government in power. The much Igbo get is the hope that it shall be well.

At the end of the day, supporting Jonathan is an act of faith. The Igbo have already gone into it and they are remaining in it as another person may not treat them better. In addition, Igbo do not joke with their elders, especially the Ohaneze Ndigbo. When the time comes, the elders will determine where the Ibo vote should go. Only then can they talk of “bloc votes”.

What’s your view on Rev. Mbaka’s statement that the President has failed the Southeast?

Rev. Mbaka spoke for himself and not for Southeast, as Igbo still remain republicans in nature. However, Rev. Mbaka is covered by our constitution of freedom of religion and other freedoms. The problem is that the Rever­end did not read his bible properly, particularly in Romans Chapter 13:1-6 where the Bible makes it clear that “every person (including Rev. Mbaka) must be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities, for there is no authority except from God…”

Because we are covered by our constitution does not mean that everyone is free to libel anyone.

If any political party supports such words as Rev. Mbaka spoke in his homily, attacking Nigeria’s President, then that is going outside the prescriptions of both the Bible and the constitution. For political reasons, we must not incur the wrath of God. Southeast geo-political zone of our country is a Christian zone.

As your question goes, it is not completely true that President Jonathan has failed the Southeast. Rather, party opponents can take such position but Jonathan’s PDP will not accept such insinuations. It may result into religious anarchy, which should be avoided.

Interview By Chinelo Obogo of the Sun