BNW

Alex Ekwueme and Babangida's Electoral Fraud Machine
Has IBB Found an Igbo Errand Boy?

by

Chinelo Obialor, Pharm.D

Now we know why Chief Alex Ekwueme could not open his mouth and condemn the Kaduna massacre in which hundreds of Nd'Igbo and Biafrans perished. The Oko Chief was looking ahead; he was looking ahead to his ambition to become president of Nigeria at Igbo and Biafran expense. Therefore, such things as the slaughter of innocent Igbo men and women must not be allowed to get in the way.

But, Buhari is also a candidate for president of Nigeria. A few months ago, when Yoruba Area Boys saw fit to kill a few Hausa-Fulani herdsmen in Oyo, Buhari and a northern Emir went to Ibadan to deliver the message that the killing of northerners would not be tolerated. Not so our Pa Ekwueme. Ekwueme is positioning himself to become IBB's boy for the 2003 presidential election.

At the over-ripe age of 70, Ekwueme is not only afraid to die, he will do anything to actualize his personal ambition to be riegn in Nigeria and therefore become lord over Nd'Igbo. Some people view Ekwueme's predisposition toward anti-Igbo sycophancy as a sign of his political sophistication. It is only in Igboland that such behavior attracts high praise. Elsewhere in Nigeria that behavior will earn the wrath of the people.

Confronted with evidence of Ekwueme's criminal (mal)nonfeasance, Ekwueme's image makers now tell us that he single-handedly designed, built, and maintained all Biafran airports during the war. These types of irresponsible hyperbole have forced some of us to conduct our own investigations into the extent of Ekwueme's involvement in building those airports and airstrips. Suffice it to say that reports of Ekwueme's role in building those facilities are greatly exaggerated.

Some say that Ekwueme has attained the holy grail of individual political accomplishment in Nigeria - the holy grail also known as "support by the North" - the same "support by the North" that rigged Obasonjo into power without the support of his Yoruba tribesmen. Judging by Ekwueme's choice Minna for announcing his ambition, it is evident that Ekwueme's way to Aso Rock will be paved by the vaunted Babangida electoral fraud machine.

Thus far in the retched history of Nigeria, the only way in which "support by the north" manifests itself is the certainty that the elections would be rigged by the north in favor of their chosen candidate, in this case, our "principled" Pa Ekwueme. How contradictory?

We had all been told that Alex Ekwueme is a man of scrupples and principle who would never compromise his integrity to score a fraudulent electoral victory. How things change! Or do they? Those who complained that Ekwueme was wrongfully jailed at Kirikiri in the aftermath of the Buhari coup have forgotten that under pressure from his old party, NPN, to deliver Anambra to the party, Alex Ekwueme and the NPN orchestrated the rigging of the 1983 governorship elections in Anambra State that saw the "victory" of C.C. Onoh and the removal of Jim Nwobodo as governor of Anambra State.

Ekwueme colluded with the enemies of Nd'Igbo to rig Ojukwu out of a senatorial seat that Ojukwu clearly won. Ekwueme is once again positioning himself to benefit from northern electoral fraud in Igboland. At least we now know that it is not beneath Chief Alex Ekwueme to seek the benefit of Babangida's fraudulent political machine.

Why else would a purported man of honor choose the home state of Babangida to announce his ambition to become president, and in the process pay homage to Babangida, Abubakar Abdusalami, and the rest of their scions who syblozie everything wrong with Nigeria. The vultures are circling around Igboland and Alex Ekwueme is their willing guide. Those who see Alex Ekwueme as the great Igbo hope will soon learn that it is impossible to serve the IBB/Abubakar agenda and also serve Igbo interests.