Ngige on the lurch again over his press interview

www.odogwublog.com reports that the author of this work Polycarp Onwubiko captioned this
work-----------Misreading Ngige’s Press Interview on Deputy Senate President
   

The melodramatic gambit during the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly has stirred controversies of no mean dimension across the political spectrum in the country. The needless incidence has not only thrown spanner in the works of APC change mantra but raked up mind- bugling bitterness and despicable insinuation from mischievous minds with home-bread hate. The article captioned: Ngige’s outdated survival instinct by a university don, Chidozie Alex Ogbonna, THIS DAY,  June 2015, could be   perceived as an outcome  of bottled up grievance typical of a demented soul. It was totally uncalled for in view of not only the cordial relationship existing between distinguished Senators Dr. Chris Ngige and Chief Ike Ekweremadu but among the elected political elites in the south-east geo-political zone. The unconscionable shenanigans and incredible tirade by the lecturer against Senator Chris Ngige was ostensibly to impress or curry the favour of the second term deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu. What Ngige said in the press interview was never an overt or covert besmirching of senator Ekweremadu’s character, political integrity and sagacity. But to correct an apparent skewed pontificating of the deputy senate president pertaining to   the zoning of key political appointment to the south east   geo-political zone.

 Thus objective and unbiased persons who had read what Senator Ngige said would readily perceive that the distinguished Senator and former governor of Anambra state   was merely streamlining issues based on the apparent deft manipulation or a combination of fatal errors and miscalculations that threw up the ambitious Bukola Saraki as the new senate president.

Senators Ngige’s position aligned with many APC faithfuls who strongly deprecated the brazen sell-out and gross party indiscipline by some recalcitrant members of APC in a run up to the election to principal positions in the National Assembly.

It is pertinent to quote portions of Ogbonna’s venom: “‘There is no doubt as to what Ngige is out to achieve. In the emergence of Ekweremadu, Ngige is jittery that his getting any juicy appointment from the federal government is limited. So the grandstanding is to prove to the APC leadership that he could cut Ekweremadu to size and that Ekweremadu is of no political significance.  By so doing, his party would see him as doing a yeoman’s job and then consider him for a lucrative appointment. This kind of grandstanding is not just crass infantilism but also laughable. Is it not even an indictment on the part of Ngige that he was part of the APC zoning arrangement that marginalises the south east and south-south of Nigeria from any leadership position in the National Assembly, thereby totally excluding the zone from the first seven positions in the land...Ngige should rather be embarrassed that he sat in a house where all the substantive positions were shared out without taking Ndigbo into accounts. He should   stop embarrassing himself further and be grateful to Ekweremadu and PDP for wiping away the tear of the people”. The embittered lecturer went to the despicable extent of reinventing the ugly Okija episode at the heat of Anambra state branch of PDP during the 2003 governorship election. How come this meanness in the name of playing politics?

This type of overzealousness was in vogue in the first and second republics when politics was mired in crudity, bitterness with primitive and unguarded outbursts. The well acknowledged, enlightened and distinguished Ekweremadu could not have sanctioned this mindless tirade and apparent character assassination on his honourable colleague; he might have perceived it as one of those who have been fade up with the rigors of academic environment and angling for engagement as glorified messengers.

The uncalled for outburst of the lecturer might  have had its source and spring from the inability to read senator Ngige’s  press interview between the lines since APC members from south east geo-political zone  and the other  Nigerians who are desirous for fundamental change in governance in Nigeria have stridently condemned what transpired at the apparently manipulated  inauguration ceremony  of the newly elected senators. The bombshell which has been unsettling occasioned ripple effect which scuttled the election of  principal officers in the house of representatives leading  to the long recess sequel to a free for all fracas in the hallowed chamber of the lower house  to the chagrin of perceptive Nigerians.    

Senator Ngige who is the leader of APC in the south east geo-polical zone is not expected to maintain the posture of ‘sidon the look’ given his preeminent position, political sagacity and adroitness. Realistically speaking, Senator Ekweremadu is not expected to dictate or fight for the positions to be given to Igbos since he belongs to a minority party in the legislature. That he leveraged on the brazen manipulation in the emergence of principal officers of the house to pontificate for the Igbos is sheer polical sophistry; and it was not impertinent for Senator Ngige to take a position to clear the fog in a modest language. This subtle political enlightenment which the university don apparently misread lead him to flew into a rage throwing gumption and discretion to the wind to impress the deputy senate president.

Fact remains that Senator Ngige is the epitome or an indisputable champion of the collective interest of the Igbos. Let’s not forget that the Right Hon. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Nigeria had in a singular occasion prophetically deferred to Dr. Chris Ngige as “authentic Igbo leader”.

Mr Onwubiko is an author and public affairs analyst,[email protected], Awka Anambra state.