TD Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, founder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Secretary of the Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) and Deputy Secretary of the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), has spoken on political developments in the South-East, the 2027 general elections, Igbo political representation and the agitation for self-determination.
In this wide-ranging interview, Ugochukwu-Uko discusses political alignments among South-East governors and the prospects of an Igbo presidency.
He also spoke on divisions within the Igbo political class, rising ethnic hostility on social media and the need for infrastructural development, true federalism and devolution of power.
He also explains his perspective on the roots of separatist agitation and the responsibilities of political leaders in addressing the region’s longstanding grievances.
The South-East is experiencing remarkable political developments, including attacks on political gatherings, abductions, tensions in Ebonyi and governors adopting President Tinubu as their candidate. How do you view the situation?
My dear brother, it’s all politics. I usually stay away from partisan politics. It’s three months to election, crazy things and irrational things happen within election season.
The principal actors usually place their personal interests above all else. That’s the political culture they impose on the people. Nothing new. I’m sure the people are used to all that.
Both in the 2011 and 2015 elections, Anambra APGA Government adopted President Jonathan of the PDP at the time. They flow according to where they believe their bread will be better buttered.
They formed a coalition called “JOIN JONATHAN’S JOURNEY” JJJ. They think only about protecting, preserving and promoting their personal interests. Nothing new at all.
About the abducted corpers, who have been released, there’s a deliberate ploy not to make public whether their abductors were Fulani armed gangs or local gangs. I’m sure the victims know exactly who abducted them.
Ebonyi State indigenes should be treated right and reassured that Igbo are one people. Every effort must be made to carry them along at all times. They are beautiful people. Their fears should be allayed. They have every right to vote whoever they choose to.
Attacks on rallies and political meetings should be condemned by all because it’s unhelpful and dangerous. It should be discouraged. South-East is a peaceful region.
It’s all politics.
Do you see the voting pattern in the coming election, approximately 90 days away, differing from the 2023 pattern, especially in the South-East?
I stay away from partisan politics and elections permutations. That’s stuff for the politicians. The 2023 environment and template is remarkably different from the circumstance, mood and alignments of today.
There certainly will be remarkable shifts and outcomes will be different. But that’s politics. No two elections will be exactly the same with the same results.
My people desire a fairly structured Nigeria and fair treatment from folks in power. They crave infrastructural development and being treated right.
But we can see slight changes in the attitude of leaders. Not that they’ve all repented, but they seem to address issues affecting the common man unlike before.
They are now doing rural roads, roads in inner cities, even in low-income, high-density areas that have no one to speak for them. State Governments are now remembering them. Health centres and schools are now receiving makeover. For the first time, governance is reaching the local communities. That’s wonderful.
There’s remarkable improvement in the last few years. Both State and Federal authorities seem to be giving attention to real needs of the people, unlike previous years when a certain cabal will visit, say, Abacha and claim they came on behalf of Ndigbo.
They praise him to high heavens and assure him they are solidly behind him. The man will meet their needs at the individual level, usually in hard currency and other personal patronage, especially procurement jobs, etc.
None of them talks about the real needs of the region: railways, container terminal, airport, international cargo wing, revitalising Eastern Ports and other needful infrastructure. Never.
But after the hullabaloo of the past decade, the sit-at-home, the agitation and all, even State Governments have suddenly woken up and surprisingly have begun to address issues that touch the common man. It’s amusing, but it’s true.
For example, Soludo suddenly remembered to construct humane motor park garages, Mba struggled to beat Soludo with grander motor park garages, and Otti strikes out with his own even more chic motor park, and the beat goes on.
The people are finally, though slowly, beginning to experience a better quality of life, and it’s quite commendable.
Nobody is willing to give the angry youngsters any credit for eventually forcing political leaders to finally sit up, but it all confirms the Igbo proverb that says if the young man does not behave like a man, they’ll not remember to find him a wife.
The different atmosphere in the land today, where Governments are struggling to make an impact in the lives of the people, is a new and welcome development. It hadn’t always been so.
They now seek validation and applause from the masses. Before this time, they didn’t care a hoot. It may have something to do with the agitation and the fact that the masses are fed up with the country and her politicians.
I pray and expect the people to vote for only dedicated and committed political leaders who are doing well.
I have no candidate, either as State Governor or as President. I completely stay away from partisan politics. I advise our people to vote their conscience.
Do you think President Bola Tinubu deserves a second term?
There could be surprises in politics.
President Tinubu is not my man. His politics is aligning his South-West region with the North. That can’t make him my man. I don’t blame him. In Nigeria, you must have your catchment area.
But I respect him and I admire his courage. I don’t know who will win in the elections 90 days away. But I know that only a united opposition can shock him. None of them stands a chance running alone. The opposition must come together if they hope to defeat him.
The North seems determined to remove him, and like I said before, if they fail, they’ll be diminished and Tinubu exalted. They never wanted him from day one. They resent the fact that they can’t intimidate, manipulate and control him.
They opposed him four years ago. Downstream sector was deliberately sabotaged and Naira colour changed, etc., just to subvert and undermine him, yet he survived.
He escaped because his opponents unwittingly split themselves into different camps. Some adopted Vice President Osinbajo, another group preferred Chibuike Amaechi, and yet another group adopted Senate President Ahmed Lawan.
They also fear he will restructure Nigeria in his second term. They know his NADECO history.
They truly want to take back power by fire by force. They seem to have rallied behind Atiku. I don’t admire any of them, but I know the election is clearly between two of them.
Other candidates are merely spoilers who probably only want to help stop Atiku. It promises to be quite an interesting election.
Atiku missed his opportunity many years ago. If he had remained loyal to his boss, he would have governed Nigeria between 2007 and 2015.
That quarrel with his boss cost him his chance. Let’s see how 2027 will go. But it’s clearly between Tinubu and Atiku. No other candidate stands a chance.
The Igbo crave an opportunity to govern Nigeria. What is your perspective on this aspiration?
Of course, and that chance will come some day. I sold my car to organise the IYM World Igbo Convention at the cinema hall of the Presidential Hotel, Enugu, 27 years ago in 1999.
Aside from our demand for a National Conference for a people’s constitution, that convention presented the case for a President of Igbo extraction.
I organised marches in 2002, 24 years ago, pleading with Obasanjo to do one term as he promised IBB and others, and allow a chance for the South-East to govern Nigeria for a season.
I’ve remained, by God’s special grace, very consistent in demanding justice for every region. But sadly, several cabals within the Igbo political class muddled up every effort to present a united common front.
It’s sad. Very sad.
Just look at the Igbo situation today. Heart-rending and painful. They made a mess of eating boiled eggs. In their usual desperate pursuit of power, they are effectively destroying chances of any kind of positive results. I’m utterly disappointed.
What exactly do you mean when you refer to three separate groups within the Igbo political struggle?
Discreet relationships with security agencies and the desire to manipulate and control the agitators offended the agitators, and they struck out on their own, claiming they can’t trust regional leaders.
Their obstinacy led to the emergence of group one: the agitators.
A poorly organised mob, led by not-too-literate young people who prefer secession. They lack strategy. They have the numbers.
Blinded by anger and bitterness, they allow their emotions to direct their actions. They are manipulated by politicians who hope to use them and sometimes actually succeed in using them.
Their uncontrolled agitation led to the birth of a noisy, disrespectful army of very emotional critical mass, which makes registration for PVCs and actually voting in elections difficult and sometimes impossible.
They are not teachable and are actually wasting their numbers and their votes without knowing their powers if they can put their numbers to positive use.
Everybody is scared of them, and they paralysed the region every Monday for several years.
Their “Biafra or death” and “Biafra or nothing” agitation hasn’t yielded positive blessings for the region or the people, but they remain the strongest block in the region.
Politicians surviving on their energy aren’t sure of their fate this time around.
The second group comprises politicians running on the emotions of the region and younger people in the land, who hope to replicate their 2023 miraculous impact.
Their messianic allure appeals to certain young people, and my region believes that’s the way to go, to have one of theirs in Aso Rock Villa.
Nothing wrong with that. Except that their emotions may not be enough to power their dreams. I wish them luck.
I do know that the circumstances of 2023 do not exist today. I also know they are up against a consummate opponent who, as an incumbent, leaves nothing to chance.
2027 will not be like 2023.
My region will find out in three months that emotions may not be enough to land one of our own in Aso Rock Villa.
The third group comprises swashbuckling gladiators from my region, mostly those who ported to the ruling party in pursuit of greener pastures and protection.
Amongst them are vice-presidential hopefuls. They are doing everything to subvert and undermine the second group in the belief that one of them could be accepted as Vice President in 2031, preparatory to the 2039 presidency.
One of them even believes he’ll become Senate President in 2027 ahead of other dreamers.
They believe that Nigeria will prefer them above the Wikes and Akpabios of the South-South for the 2031 vice-presidency.
The Igbo disingenuously split themselves into these three unhelpful groups due to lack of cohesion and strategy.
I’m pained and disappointed. The possibility of all three groups failing woefully to achieve their objectives is real. And very likely.
Our behaviour as a people seems to turn everybody off. Nobody identifies as friends with Ndigbo.
We are on our own, quarrelling with everyone. Fighting on social media with other regions while hoping to land in Aso Rock.
None of these three groups seems bothered by the fact that the online hatred and intra-ethnic attacks, abuses and needless insults will certainly hinder Igbo political dreams moving forward.
Our people attacked Northerners and called them all sorts of names, and are currently abusing the great Yoruba Nation, claiming they didn’t start the insults and abuses. They say they are only responding accordingly.
It’s sad to see such crass ignorance. Abusing Adeboye, Soyinka, Kumuyi and other Yoruba icons will never give us Yoruba votes moving forward.
It’s shocking that Ndigbo can quickly forget that Soyinka was detained for two years by Gowon for speaking up for Ndigbo. He was tagged an Igbo sympathiser during the war.
Ndigbo are making a terrible mistake abusing people we should court as friends, just because of elections.
These online insults may lead to something unpleasant if not checked.
A hundred years ago, a man named Julius Streicher began publishing in Berlin a magazine called Der Stürmer, vilifying a specific people and blaming them for economic difficulties troubling Germany in the 1920s.
His propaganda magazine sowed the seed of the hatred that led millions to concentration camps and the gas chambers.
Ethnic hatred, when sustained, grows into something deadly.
The ethnic tension being instigated by politicians because of the 2027 elections is dangerous and uncalled for.
I cry to see the unity I worked and laboured for with my personal resources, youthful energy and so much dedication going up in flames because of the 2027 elections.
I laboured to bring Pa Ayo Adebanjo, General Alani Akinrinade, Prof Banji Akintoye, Yinka Odumakin and others to Enugu as guests at my IYM conferences in a bid to work together.
Today, the mad quest for Aso Rock has turned Yoruba and Igbo bitter enemies, abusing each other online.
It’s sad and unfortunate. I don’t know who started or how it started. I only know that the hidden agenda to make Ndigbo reprehensible and troublesome is succeeding.
The idea is to deliberately activate hate towards Ndigbo and isolate and ostracise Ndigbo moving forward. It’s sad our people cannot understand it.
These ongoing insults, abuses and attacks will hurt our political future as a people. We are being painted in dark colours, and we sadly cannot see it.
Ndigbo should be making friends in Nigeria, not enemies. We are not getting it right. Elections will come and go. Our people are so emotional. I’m ashamed, truly.
Some people believe the agitation has done more damage than good to the South-East. What is your response?
The delicate and intricate truth is that certain politicians from the region cleverly twisted the narrative to suit their nuances and manipulations.
Their political aspirations and interests are usually sandwiched in the narrative they repeatedly present to the authorities and the public through their friends in the media. They deliberately hide the truth.
The agitation lives in the hearts of millions of citizens from my region, mostly youngsters, who believe Nigeria will never treat them well.
Ralph began to tell them they have no future in Nigeria since 1999, and they believe him. Nnamdi, years later, outshone Ralph by broadcasting to them that they are better off in a separate country of their own. Many believed him.
Politicians from the region blackmail them by presenting them as criminals while advancing political appointments and the presidency for the region as the solution. But those are lies.
The truth is that infrastructural development of the region and devolving power to the federating units are the panacea to these feelings of exclusion eating up their souls.
In other words, the people of the region wish to see international cargo planes bringing in stuff from Europe, America, China, India, Brazil and elsewhere directly to Enugu International Airport.
They need to see trains run through Enugu. They want to have a sense of belonging. They think Nigeria has refused to accept them.
A 25-year-old married woman in Enugu has not seen trains run through Enugu in her life.
The people want to develop their region. They know that only devolution of power will allow them to grow.
They feel caged in a forced unitary structure that makes them spectators and onlookers unless one of them becomes President.
That also needlessly raises the stakes so high during elections, as whoever wins the presidency controls the land in our winner-takes-all political culture.
Ndigbo desire true federalism and devolution of power in order to develop our region.
Politicians selfishly twist the narrative to suggest that only the presidency will help Ndigbo, which isn’t true at all.
Ndigbo do not care where the President will come from. They want to see a restructured Nigeria.
So, the agitation is not about any individual or group of people. It’s about the frustration in the hearts of millions of our citizens who believe, from personal experience, that Nigeria will never be fair to them.
It is the duty of Nigeria to debunk their assumptions and treat their region fairly and equitably.
Any day ocean liners offload containers anywhere in the South-East, secession will no longer be attractive to our people.
Our people want to see development in our region, at least to be at par with other regions.
None of the Eastern Ports is functioning, but another region with several functioning seaports is constructing six more. That’s one of the reasons for the agitation.
In other words, would addressing infrastructural deficiencies, returning to true federalism and devolving power help assuage the people of the South-East?
Of course. You see, I began my activism over 30 years ago.
I organised IYM seminars for Igbo youths across the land, where I distributed a small green pamphlet, “Igbo Code of Conduct”.
Great Igbo leaders, Mbazulike Amechi, C. C. Onoh, Alex Ekwueme, Ndubuisi Kanu, Ben Obumselu, Odimegwu-Ojukwu, Ben Nwabueze, Uche Chukwumerije, Dozie Ikedife, Joe Achuzia, Ojo Maduekwe, Ben Gbulie, Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and others graciously honoured my invitation as resource persons during many of my events over the years.
During question-and-answer sessions, we discovered to our surprise that young people who lived in different places and did not know each other endlessly lamented that they could no longer take the deliberate humiliation and mistreatment meted out to them in Nigeria for being Igbo.
They said the same thing at all venues of my IYM seminars for Igbo traders at People Club Hall, Ajao Road, Surulere; Fatima Abubakar Park, Abakaliki; Rosey Art Theatre, Owerri; Moon Shine Hotel, Jos; Rimax Institute, Meiran, Lagos; or Press Centre, Rangers Avenue, Enugu.
They all said the same thing during the military era, and they never met each other.
The DNA, chromosomes and chromatids of the Igbo man resent domination and slavery. He is willing to repeat Igbo Landing of 200 years ago in America rather than live a life of slavery.
Ralph activated MASSOB 27 years ago because he saw that the Igbo younger generation was willing to do anything but hand over to their children a life of servitude.
They don’t want that at all.
Once Nigeria begins to treat the region right, I believe their souls will return to Nigeria.
Devolution of power, true federalism and infrastructural development of the region are the keys.
The agitation isn’t about any individual; rather, it is about the feeling of exclusion and mistreatment of the region.
Secondly, the unitary structure does not offer any hope for a great future. The agitators want a better deal.
About the Interviewee
Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko is the founder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Secretary of the Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) and Deputy Secretary of the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT).
He says he has spent more than three decades advocating for justice, political inclusion, infrastructural development and constitutional restructuring in Nigeria.
Editorial note:
This interview has been arranged into paragraphs and sections for readability.
The interviewee’s views and political assessments are presented as expressed; they do not necessarily represent the views of This Dawn News.
