Only clairvoyants can declare with accuracy the final outcomes of the 2023 general elections or declare accurately the exact identities of the ultimate winners of political parties’ primary elections among prospective governorship aspirants, particularly in Abia North Zone, going by the logics and tenets of the zoning arrangement for the governorship position.
But, what of despair or disappointments? Absolutely guaranteed! 2023 cycles of political dramas and events, in the hard-wired political arenas cannot be complete or even considered normal occurrences without some doses of bitter pills of despair and disappointments for many.
In essence, 2023 largely remains a mystery yet to be unravelled, in the context of unfolding political activities and events, with direct or indirect bearing on the governorship contest in Abia State; specifically in Abia North Zone, on account of the prevailing zoning system which has been adopted for rotation of the governorship office among the three zones, based on the prescriptions of the Abia Charter of Equity.
Though the sketch of the total picture, in terms of the political gladiators who would cross swords in the governorship tickets’ contests remains mostly blurred at the moment, some notable personalities have begun to emerge conspicuously out of the shadows, into the limelight. Sample profiles of these personalities include, essentially, veteran political gladiators, business tycoons, icons of academia and educationists, tested and trusted veteran security experts, distinguished ex military leaders, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. All the personalities parade enviable degrees of diverse pedigrees of experience and expertise.
Abia North zone is blessed with rich deposits of valuable human capital resource. Abia North Zone is the home of prominent professional elite and renowned technocrats, whose influences penetrate beyond the boundaries of Abia State to different parts of the world.
Similarly, Abia Central and Abia South Zones are treasure bases of jewels, in terms of the presence of accomplished personalities in different fields of professional endeavours.
Unfortunately, Abia State, despite the abundance of rich human capital resource, has curiously remained in the tight clutches of noticeable paralysis, in the context of the classic sense of dearth of role models, measured by the respective performances of the persons who have served in the strategic office of state chief executive or governor.
The reasons for the paralysis are not far-fetched. They are conspicuous to any discerning minds, based on hindsight.
The unfortunate development can be attributed primarily to the curious emergence of persons who occupied the highly exalted and strategic governorship position, who were and/or are generally considered either not suitable, ill-equipped for the office, or plain incompetent.
Secondly, the practice of the doctrine of inverted concept of leadership as a curious model is another factor. Under the inverted concept or model, the universal ideals of leadership are completely turned-upside-down. Effective and efficient leadership is compromised. Leadership incompetency and outright failure are elevated to high pedestals; and above all, incompetent persons are compensated with the strategic office of governor based on political considerations as the primary yardsticks for making decisions concerning the choice of the candidates.
These sad spectacles have formed the rudiments of the political culture in Abia State since 1999. Any wonder, with these absurdities as highly institutionlized official instruments of policy frameworks in politics or governance, exercised completely by defacto political godfathers in control of the affairs of the political parties and state’s apparatuses, Abia State, ever since, has not moved beyond mediocrity levels? In essence, the powers behind the governorship seat pull the political strings to suit specific, narrowly defined interests, while the state was virtually left prostrate in terms of effective leadership.
As a result, Abia State, had suffered the grave misfortune of having as governors, individuals who simply desired the title, honour, and prestige of being governor, but lacked the requisite competencies essential to meet up with the arduous demands of the office.
In this context, it has become one thing to ascend the position of governorship, especially with the influence of political godfathers, and an entirely different matter to live up to the high expectations of the citizenry, who desire and deserve high quality services from the occupants of the exalted office.
It was relatively easy or simple for some of these individuals to become governor but they then ended up mostly as disasters or failures in office.
These individuals, generally speaking, accomplished little or nothing of any significance as governors but only disappointed Abians.
Abia State had suffered the great misfortune of being governed by individuals who lacked the right ideas, ideals and strategic visions required to deliver constructive, result-oriented leadership. In terms of positive manifestations of tangible accomplishments, these leaders barely made any positive impacts, relative to the enormous resource base of the State, allegedly squandered by these leaders, while in office.
In many cases, capital projects embarked upon under various administrations, merely served as deliberate avenues to siphon funds, according to the popular beliefs and perceptions.
As oftentimes alleged by knowledgeable sources, such leaders only distinguished themselves in office by putting personal gains above the corporate interests of Abia State. The ultimate, unsavoury results: Abia State ended up exploited, plundered and hijacked; in the manner vicious conquerors ravage conquered territories and vanquished people.
In 2023, therefore, Abia State needs a leader who understands perfectly the essence of the highly exalted office of governor. Not as an imperial position or traditional stool, but as a constitutional position designed to mandate him or her to shepherd the state towards greener pastures, as should be the person’s primary responsibility in accordance with the dictates of modern democracy.
Abia needs a leader with a deep sense of responsibility and an understanding of the fact that he or she must cherish and honour the singular opportunity and unique privilege of serving Abians as a Servant-leader.
The state needs a leader, humble enough to remember and respect the sanctity of the oath of office; not someone that is unmindful of her or his duty, or anxious to impose herself/himself as an imperial ruler or overlord.
Someone capable of tapping creatively the inherent capacities of Abia State, with the sole intent and purpose to unleash fresh gales and waves of unprecedented development, across the entire length and breadth of the Abia polity.
The person must be a leader with the legendary magic wand and must have patriotic zeal and devotion to duty.
A leader who can catalyze and re-energize the dispirited workforce of Abia State in the public or government services domains.
A leader, capable of creating a rebranded workforce, infused and reinvigorated with the spirit of the pursuit of excellence; leveraging on strategic reform programs and the re-engineering of existing unattractive or demoralizing conditions of service.
A leader, who understands the benefits of regular payment of salaries, wages, pensions, or other forms of emoluments, not as favours or privileges, but as basic entitlements and rights of workers, necessary for survival and the socioeconomic and political well-being of Abia society.
A leader with robust, viable economic and investments blueprints and templates, strategically designed to attract and retain local and international investments, anchored on premium benchmarks and standards of global best practice.
The person must be someone who understands the current economic challenges of Abia State and is in tune with modern economic tools necessary to plumb the economic environment and provide for the short, medium, and long term needs, especially of the teeming youth of the State.
A leader whose primary objective as governor is not to privatize public treasury and other commonwealth for personal interests or narrowly defined group or sectional interests; a governor who would not discriminate against, deprive, or exclude fellow Abians from partaking of the benefits of good governance, on flimsy grounds of political affiliations or differences in religious beliefs or associations, or such other mundane sentiments.
A governor who would spread evenly political appointments and other public office appointments on the basis of merit and competencies and not on the basis of nepotism or mediocrity; a leader who understands perfectly the urgency and necessity to fast-track Abia on the trajectories of rapid and holistic development, in order to regain decades of lost grounds.
A governor that is ever-ready to collaborate, cooperate, synergize with other strategic stakeholders, within or outside the confines of Abia State.
A leader confident enough in her or his mental and emotional faculties or other abilities and ready to welcome or embrace fresh ideas or perspectives, as necessary impetus for collective aspirations and quests for collective achievements.
It means simply that the ideal governor is expected to match or surpass these articulated expectations.
In the final analysis:
Abians in 2023 need a “leader of leaders who leads leaders to lead people” – Niri Patel.
Such a person must be a role model, in complete accord with the leadership concepts, models, perspectives, prescriptions, and thoughts of Niri Patel.
In the Holy Book, the Bible, the Master, the ultimate teacher, used figuratively the parable of the pearl and swine, as classic and quintessential analogy to skillfully and supremely underscore the inevitable outcome, if swine is commissioned or put in charge of pearl, a precious jewel and highly prized object.
This critical and supreme lesson, has been clearly demonstrated and vindicated, practically as reality, in the political sphere of Abia State, spanning 30 years of its creation.
Now, the critical question is: what lies ahead as the ultimate fate of Abia State, in political leadership, in the nearest future; specifically with effect from the 2023 general elections?
Abians need to get it right in 2023, in order to move forward beyond the present state of paralysis.
How and by what means? By being conscious and mindful of the ominous threats posed by the presence of the herd or horde of political swine, on parade, masked as leaders.
Abia State, no doubt, can be truly great, by resolving effectively the root cause of the leadership failures that have pinned it down to the unenviable status of a state in self inflicted political bondage and retrogression in the past 30 years of its existence.
