Chimezie Ogenna Nwodo Esq.
I read with keen interest, the brilliantly rendered opinion of Julius Aneke, titled “Rotational Template and Governorship Contests in Enugu State,” published in the DailySun of May 8, 2020. In it, he x-rayed the political history of Enugu State as it relates to the issue of rotational governance, a structure that has ensured that all component areas of the state got to have a bite of the juicy cherry of the promises of Lion Building. Although I have reservations for such political architecture, but bearing in mind our collective political/ideological immaturity, such reservations pale in the light of the challenges that a non-adherence to such arrangement may portend.
Howbeit, in spite of Mr. Aneke’s painstaking efforts, my delight varnished upon noting the rather rattling brevity he employed in treating such a serious issue that is capable of imploding the extant political structure, and completely altering the unwritten Magna Carta of the state. To say the least, Mr. Aneke’s thesis ended before it began! Therefore, this effort is not a scrutiny; it is only an attempt to foray into some glaring gaps and gray areas.
It is not surprising that political awareness in the state is remarkably on the rise. People are beginning to ask questions and render opinions, no matter how banal those questions or opinions appear. Even a cursory stroll through the streets of social media makes this fact self-evident. This upsurge in awareness has brought to the fore a myriad of opinions and permutations, expectedly fuelled by variants of sentiments. Top among the issues include whether the zoning lot will be cast in favour of Enugu East Senatorial District (Ndi Nkanu), given that the first phase of the cycle has run its full course?
The second issue, which is also of equal importance, is, assuming the political pendulum swings in favour of Enugu East Senatorial District, from which part of Enugu East would the next occupant of Lion Building emerge? It should be noted that there is a certain peculiarity in the senatorial delineations in Enugu State. This uniqueness stems from the fact that the senatorial districts are drawn across ‘cultural zones’ and there is a verifiable homogeneity that forms the basis of each delineation. Thus, Enugu North Senatorial District, where the current governor of the state comes from, is generally referred to as ‘Ndi Nsukka’. Enugu West is referred to as ‘Ndi Agbaja/Ndi Awgu,’ a reference to the lumping together of two cultural zones; while the Enugu East is referred to as ‘Ndi Nkanu.’
Now, it is pertinent to reiterate that when the junta relinquished power in 1999, the first democratically elected governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, came from Enugu East. He was succeeded by Barr. Sullivan Chime, from the Enugu West. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is at the helm of governance, is from Enugu North, thereby wrapping up the first phase of the rotation. In 2023, another round of this rotation is expected to begin. Certain propositions have been advanced by some actors, mostly on the basis of ascertainable self-centred leaning, to the effect that the rotation or zoning is not a product of any rule cast in stone. In essence, since the process of rotation or zoning has run a full cycle, there is nothing suggesting that the cycle will not spin again, only this time from an alternate angle. In fairness to the proponents of this view and bearing in mind the dynamism needed in statecraft, no rule is cast in stone and there is no doubting the right of such people to hold such view.
My most humble view on this issue is simple: it is as well not a natural course of events for a clock to tick in an anticlockwise direction! At the risk of being adjudged sentimental, it is also my view that, bearing in mind the current state of our collective political maturity or the lack thereof, the truncation of the existing pattern will not augur well for the relative peace the state has enjoyed over the years. And no statesman worth that name would want to be embroiled in that act of political rascality. Simply put, power has to rotate once again to where it all started, Enugu East Senatorial District!
The second issue, which ordinarily should be discussed at the homestead of Enugu East Senatorial District, is not bereft of inherent challenges of opposing political influences, within and without the district. The natural question is, where or which part of Nkanu would Mr. Ugwuanyi’s replacement come from? The zone comprises six local government councils: Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Isiuzo, Nkanu East and Nkanu West. Five out of the six, that is, Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Nkanu East and Nkanu West, are made up of Ndi Nkanu, to the exclusion of people from any other cultural group. It is only in Isiuzo that you can find some persons who are of the Nsukka Cultural zone.
The position in Enugu East Senatorial District is, therefore, two-pronged. Those in Isiuzo (who are often referred to as “more Nsukka than Nkanu” by the rest of Enugu indigenes), view the rest as “core Nkanu,” citing their cultural homogeneity. Owing to this fact, they believe that the governorship slot for Enugu East Senatorial District should come to Isiuzo since the last time it was occupied by Dr. Nnamani, from Agbani, the core Nkanu. They also cite the administration of Senator Jim Nwobodo, who was governor of the old Anambra State! To them, even indigenes of Enugu East Local Government, (Nike) who share the same federal constituency with them are as well not entitled since their brothers of the core Nkanu stock (Nwobodo and Nnamani) have had their turns.
In similar sentiment, the core Nkanu populace believe that the choice of who becomes the next governor should be left open and entirely for the stakeholders in the zone to decide, hoping to leverage on their numerical strength. Already, there are varied interpretations of the governor’s “body language,” which most believe is suggestive of a likely preference for someone from Isiuzo, of the Nsukka cultural zone. Bearing in mind the cultural affinity between the Nsukka cultural zone and most parts of Isiuzo, the generality of the core Nkanu have likened such possibility to “another Nsukka man being in power.” Naturally, the Nkanu people are opposed to this view, which they believe would to strip them of their “right.”
In the past, it was not uncommon for the man at the helm to overtly support or oppose candidates. But in view of the changing times, I would suggest that the governor should resist the urge to succumb to this rumoured body language and allow Ndi Nkanu (the core Nkanu people) decide who they will send to Lion Building, in line with the extant arrangement. As stated earlier, the senatorial districts are drawn along cultural zones of Agbaja/Awgu, Nsukka and Nkanu. It would be recalled that one of the major impediments to the ambition of the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odo, to succeed Sullivan Chime as governor, was that although he comes from Igbo Etiti, which is of the Enugu North Senatorial zone, he is nonetheless of the Agbaja cultural group. It therefore does not matter that some persons from other cultural zones have spilled over to the Senatorial District specifically meant for Ndi Nkanu. The choice of who should occupy the Lion Building in 2023, in fairness, should be left for the core Nkanu clan/cultural zone. The reason, again, is simple: that my kin finds himself in another family, owing to certain arrangements, does not empower him to vie for positions, which the family has been strictly named to occupy.
As a core Nkanu man from Enugu East Senatorial District, my interest is for the best candidate to emerge at the end of the political maneuvers that will precede the emergence. Times have drastically changed and there is a gnawing urgency to tinker with the leadership model and standard we are accustomed to. In the past, we have witnessed, with palpable sadness, the emergence of persons who do not understand, even slightly, the art of modern governance; the need to put in place a formidable structure and ensure a wholesome development. In the past, men and women with no proven pedigree have come up to occupy elevated offices, people whose tickets to power is the whim of the man making the decisions. This set of people, with no known endeavour, latch on to political offices and glue themselves to the corridors of power, ultimately to serve no other but themselves. This set of people should have no place in governance in this era where the promises of paying salaries and constructing roads are no longer considered viable campaign promises.
Arguably, Nkanu people are regarded as very politically aware and the engine room of politics in the state. And for me, how they handle these issues and other ancillary issues, which have political colourations, will go a long way to determine that claim and ultimately, their political future.
•Barr. Nwodo practices Law in Enugu.
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