El-Rufai’s Wolf Cry For Igbos

As the 2019 general elections draw closer, politicians would want to utilize all available resources and strategies at their disposal to capture their prey, the vulnerable electorate. As a strategic means towards winning elections, enemies would suddenly become friends just to accomplish their aims. After all, in politics, there is no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, but interests.
The South East geo-political zone is visibly shortchanged in all ramifications; infrastructural development, participation in decision making, federal presence and security of lives and properties. Evidently, since after the civil war which ended merely in the field, the war remains intensive in the minds of many Nigerians leading to chronic ethnic hate, religious hurly-burly and marginalization, among others.
Despite the ill-treatment against the Igbos, the South East  remains committed to nation building particularly through radical investment drives across  the country and extension of hands of fellowship to non indigenes.
For instance, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu appointed a northerner in his government while serving as the governor of Abia State. Similarly, Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State overwhelmingly extended hands of friendship to the northerners in the state and provided them adequate protection.
Without a doubt, the South East, as attested to by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, is synonymous with marginalization since independence in 1960. Unfortunately, the same South East people were recently butchered mercilessly in Kaduna under the watch of Governor el-Rufai without any condemnation of the heinous crimes against humanity. Igbos  have been targets of attacks in the north for several years, some in churches, houses and at business areas. Even young graduates on National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme posted to the north were not spared, yet the new patriot feeling bad for the Igbos never condemned these attacks.
Without mincing words, el-Rufai owes the people of the South East geo-political zone unreserved apologies for all the innocent bloods of their relatives that have been wasted in his state and the north at large by his tribesmen before he could cry wolf over the lopsided appointment of the Federal government against the Igbos. To swiftly lament on the media against the marginalization of the Igbos by the Buhari administration, rather than draw the attention of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to the ill treatments against the Igbos is political with sinister motives.
For the records, el-Rufai cannot overnight become aficionado of the Igbo nation more than President Buhari who in his two out of four attempts at the presidency picked Igbos; the late  political scientist, Senator Chuba Okadigbo (2003) and Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke (2011) as his running mates.
Meanwhile, Mallam el-Rufai who has been in the corridors of power since Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 1999 cannot show any instance of patriotism, let alone empowering the Igbos as he did to northerners while in government.
Furthermore, el-Rufai headed OBJ’s political squad then, that almost shattered the constitutional structure of government, to the extent that the nation’s former  Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was severally and openly disrespected, verbally attacked and almost gang-beaten at FEC meetings, leading to his tactical withdrawal from attendance till the end of that regime.
Thus, sometimes, while taking messages, the messenger ought to be cautiously scrutinized to ascertain the logic behind the profound messages. Without a doubt, the situation of things in the South East deserves a state of emergency and will inevitably play a crucial role in the next general elections.
If el-Rufai’s plots and calculations towards the 2019 are to grab the presidential ticket of any political party to contest against President Buhari, so as to scheme out the South East of the presidential race, he has goofed.
Meanwhile, the good message of Igbo marginalization may become a designed gizmo to unconsciously elongate the marginalization if care is not taken.
At this point in time, the best all northerners that feel concerned over some inadequacies of the present administration should do is to resourcefully and collectively rally around President Buhari and help him redress unfair policies,  and not to run down the administration in the media with the intention to get sympathy from the  zones that are facing marginalization, and thereby swapping Buhari with another northerner who would certainly go for another two terms.
To the public, Buhari represents the north on a geographical level; hence his success or failure will be accorded as that of the north, the same way it happened to Goodluck Jonathan.
Conclusively, for any northerner, sadly in the same APC, to become its critic overnight, there is certainly a sinister motive.
Umegboro, a public affairs analyst, lives in Abuja.

Carl Umegboro