By Uzu Okagbue
What the last two general elections exposed is a subtle but dangerous pattern in Igbo political behaviour: one driven more by emotional alignment than by sober political judgment. Peter Obi’s presence on two successive presidential tickets, first on the PDP platform and later as the flagbearer of the Labour Party, became a powerful symbol of collective aspiration. For Ndi Igbo, it represented a long-suppressed yearning to be seen, heard, and trusted with national leadership. But symbols, when not carefully managed, can also become instruments of unintended self-harm.
In both election cycles, the Obi factor produced a blanket enthusiasm that spilled far beyond the presidential ballot. Party platforms carrying him became emotional vehicles rather than political institutions subjected to scrutiny. On election day, many of our people voted the platform, not the candidates. In doing so, we inadvertently handed elective offices; legislative seats, and strategic positions, to individuals who were poorly prepared, poorly scrutinised, and in some cases manifestly unqualified for public responsibility. Their only credential was proximity to a revered presidential candidate.
This is the critical failure we must now confront honestly. The presence of “one of our finest” at the top of the ticket blurred our collective ability to differentiate excellence from opportunism lower down the ballot. Political parties, aware of this emotional wave, quietly smuggled in characters who would never have survived rigorous public evaluation under normal circumstances. The result was predictable: weak representation, incoherent legislative behaviour, and a diminished Igbo voice in governance.
The tragedy is not that we believed in Peter Obi. That belief was rational and defensible. The tragedy is that we suspended discernment in the process. Liberation politics, when reduced to election-day enthusiasm, becomes a shortcut through which mediocrity gains access to power. Once elected, these individuals do not merely underperform: they actively weaken the bargaining strength of the people they claim to represent.
As another election approaches, the early signs of this same pattern are already visible. Aspirants with shallow preparation, unresolved credibility issues, and no clear record of competence are once again positioning themselves under the shadow of credible national figure, hoping to ride emotional currents into office. If Ndi Igbo do not become more deliberate, history will repeat itself: loud votes, thin outcomes.
The lesson is simple but urgent: presidential excellence does not automatically confer legislative or executive competence down the ballot. We must separate the national struggle for inclusion from the local responsibility of governance. One can admire a presidential candidate and still reject an unfit senatorial or House of Representative aspirant on the same platform. Anything less is political laziness disguised as solidarity.
This moment demands maturity. Not withdrawal. Not cynicism. But clarity. If we fail to interrogate candidates beyond the symbolism of party logos and ethnic pride, we will continue to exchange emotional victories for institutional weakness. As a people long versed in strategy, commerce, and survival, Ndi Igbo should know better.
The next election will not merely test our numbers; it will test our judgment. If we pass, we reposition ourselves as a people ready for power. If we fail, we will remain spectators to a system we loudly claim to want to lead.
