Wealth, Vested Interests, and the Republican Spirit of Igbo Politics
The appointment of Obi Cubana as South East Coordinator of the City Boys Movement has triggered predictable commentary about influence over Igbo votes. Some assume that wealth, celebrity, and networks can automatically shift political allegiance. That assumption betrays a poor reading of Igbo political culture, and of political economy itself.
The Igbo are historically republican in instinct. Leadership is not decreed by wealth; it is negotiated through communal endorsement. Family, village, town unions, professional networks, and informal opinion leaders all shape political outcomes. Without grassroots legitimacy, even the most celebrated individual finds his influence sharply limited.
There is an Igbo proverb that captures the equilibrium: "Egbe belu, ugo belu; nke si ibe ya ebelu, nku kwa ya." Let the kite perch; let the eagle perch. But if one attempts to displace the other, it will be dislodged. No individual stands above the collective.
Every serious student of political economy understands something further. Much of the noise around the City Boys Movement and supposed influence over Igbo votes is less about voters and more about vested interests, incentives, and elite bargaining. It is about positioning within power structures. It is about access. It is about proximity to the state.
But when the chips are down, when real ballots are cast, elite signaling does not automatically convert to popular votes. Igbo political choices have repeatedly shown independence from mere patronage alignment. Wealth may command attention. It does not command obedience.
History affirms this. Political legitimacy in the South East has consistently required alignment with communal aspirations. Those who mistake social prominence for electoral authority often learn the difference the hard way.
In Igbo political life, communal endorsement remains the ultimate currency. Leadership serves the people, not personal ambition. Influence must be earned, not assumed.
The debate, therefore, should not be about who is wealthy enough to sway the South East. It should be about who understands its republican soul.
(C) John Onyeukwu
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-- James D. Wolfensohn
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