Gov. Okorocha’s place in history: Will he use it or abuse it? (1)

In the Igbo political landscape of shifting leadership, Governor Rochas Okorocha now occupies a central place in the manner of an oasis in a vast barren desert. As the only governor of the ruling party, APC, as well as chairman of the party’s Governors’ Forum in the zone, he is an important voice in the party and the conscience of the Igbo in the government. Whatever position the Igbo may get will be as appointments and will not possess the kind of clout and attention the governor has on the government at the centre.

By his action of defecting to the APC from APGA, which brought him to power in 2011, he could be seen either as a traitor or revolutionary by the Igbo. Elected on the platform of APGA, a party founded by late Ikemba Emeka Ojukwu, he saw the future, like a true revolutionary, and broke rank with the party and people of the zone and joined the moving Change train and has been proved right. But for him, the Igbo would have been completely isolated and excluded from the APC-led government at the centre. Given the zone’s tenuous position and diminishing relevance in the nation that would have indeed been tragic!

A misfortune that has befallen the Igbo nation since the passing of Zik is the absence of any credible, enduring and prospective leadership that can push for national influence and recognition. Since the return of democracy in 1999, the zone, like others, has produced two generations of governors with none really aspiring to regional, or national leadership. Unlike other zones where national leaders have already emerged from their ranks, the South east is the only zone still in search of a credible candidate for both regional and national leadership.

In the current political dispensation, the rank of the governors holds sway. It is virtually impossible for anybody to rise to prominence without becoming a governor. The Governors’ Forum was so powerful that the government had to destabilize it. The two successive regimes after Obasanjo both had former governors as president and vice. President Buhari’s tenure is an aberration and the tradition is likely to continue after him. Indeed, their influence is further being consolidated with their increasing presence in the Senate.

However, no former governor of the region has any pretentious aspirations to national leadership. They are the only group of ex-governors seeking for employment of some sort after leaving office. In fact the case of Mr. Peter Obi is so pathetic that he had to accept the chairmanship of SEC. Even former Senate president, Mr. Pius Anyim, condescended to take the glorified errand boy post of secretary to the government. Mr. Achike Udenwa also served under late Yar’Adua, who was elected governor at the same time with him.   It cannot be worse than that.

Apart from the lone figure of T.A. Orji in the senate, there is no other former governor of the region that is still relevant in the scheme of things in the country. In other zones we still have people from the 1999 – 2007 set, such as Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande, Rasheed Ladoja, Abba Ibrahim, Adamu Abdullahi, George Akume, John Oyegun, Ahmed Yerima and Rabiu Kwakwanso involved in national politics. There are also second generation leaders to watch, such as Saraki, Tambuwal, El Rufai and Fashola.

In the South east, Okorocha appears to be the closest likelihood of having an emergent and promising leader who can unite and galvanise the zone for national involvement and the leadership challenge. Previous governors, such as Orji Uzor Kalu, Chimaroke Nnamani, Sam Egwu, Udenwa, Obi and senate presidents like Ken Nnamani, Anyim and Adolphus Wabara, who possessed the potential and had the opportunity lost out to narrow mindedness, pettiness and money mentality (apologies to Prof. Soyinka).

So, Okorocha has his place in the sun to create a new pathway for himself and the region. As the strongest voice of the zone in the present government he has a divine opportunity to change the fortunes of his people and reposition them for national politics. Even under the PDP, the zone was relegated to the background and only recognized for its nuisance value. Okorocha has to rise above pettiness and embrace the leadership role providence has thrust on him.

Unfortunately, he is Igbo and probably suffers from the Igbo curse, namely, individualism and lack of strategic approach to politics and leadership. Also his antecedents do not recommend any confidence that he will discharge this mandate. Among his colleague governors in the region he is ill spoken of as not being a team player, an attribute critical in leadership. He is seen as arrogant, divisive, loquacious and insulting.

In four years of his first term, he attended the South East Governors’ Forum only twice. He is either against most of the leaders in the area or they are against him.   However, the recent hosting of the Forum by him should be commended and as the chairman it is a platform to do the needful for the region. How he proceeds from this early step will determine his future leadership role in the zone and, by extension, the nation.