The Igbo Political Elite: Between Activists Separatists And Reluctant Federalists

Yakub Aliyu

The Igbo political elite are now sharply divided between the silent majority federalist, and the vocal separatists minority represented by IPOB, MASSOB and others.

Both have no defined leadership, except that Nnamdi Kanu has now assumed the role of an arrowhead for the separatists. The federalists have so far been intimidated to their marrow and it is not in their interest that they remain so.

In addition, the separatists have not defined clearly what they wanted, and they appeared uninterested in first exhausting the constitutional democratic route.

Take the case of Prof. Nwabueze's statement that if the government agreed to the restructuring agenda, the IPOB will rescind it's separatists agitation. This is pure blackmail. It's like the old man has an agenda within IPOB agenda.

Also, there are some of the political elite and intellectuals who are closet separatists but lack the guts to face Nigeria and declare their stand. Hence, the IPOB movement is bereft of the intellectual gravitas that will give sense and meaning to the agitation for secession.

It's total confusion that both the Igbo political elite and their intellectuals are in. Until the federalist majority consciously seize the initiative, move and occupy the centre stage with a well articulated agenda and a new narrative of the Igbo engagement with the rest of Nigeria, as well as reigning in the separatists, the Southeast will remain in a turmoil for quite a while.

It would be a double tragedy for an entire geopolitical zone and Nigeria as a whole, because while the separatists will have nothing to loose even if they don't get Biafra, the federalist majority will have everything to loose politically and economically.

Above all, the Igbo masses will remain cannon fodders in the chess game of hide and seek between activist separatists and reluctant federalists.

Let's us hope that at the end of the day, enlightened self interest will prevail.