Why Igbo Political Heavyweights Lose Influence and Fade Into Obscurity After Reaching Abuja’s National Stage [OPINION]

 

Once towering figures in Eastern Nigeria’s political landscape, many Igbo politicians seem to shrink in stature the moment they arrive in Abuja. Their once-booming voices, dominant in town hall meetings and campaign rallies, fade into whispers in the capital city’s corridors of power. It’s a disheartening transformation that has become all too familiar over the last two decades.

Names like Dr. Chris Ngige, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Orji Uzor Kalu, and Anyim Pius Anyim once evoked passion, controversy, and undeniable influence among the Igbo populace. Today, they largely exist as shadows of their former selves. Their roles in government have been reduced to mere formalities, their names rarely mentioned in national discourse outside election seasons or political scandals.

This decline is not a result of age or irrelevance. Many of these politicians are still capable of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s future. But something changes when they transition from regional strongholds to the nation’s power center. Rather than amplifying their presence, Abuja seems to swallow their political identity.

Dr. Ngige was once a phenomenon. A firebrand who defied political behemoths and captivated Anambra State. His time as Minister of Labour has been marked more by silence than significant reform or advocacy. Similarly, Rochas Okorocha, once the dramatic and populist governor of Imo, has found his national political career muddied by endless legal drama and a noticeable dip in relevance.

These men are not alone. A growing list of respected Eastern politicians, including Enyinnaya Abaribe, Ken Nnamani, Victor Umeh, and Sam Egwu, have found themselves floating in Abuja, disconnected from the base that once celebrated them. Despite holding high-profile appointments or legislative positions, their influence has not translated to national admiration or strategic power.

There’s a striking contrast between today’s crop and the titans of Nigeria’s early republics. Leaders like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara, Mbonu Ojike, and Sam Mbakwe never hung around the capital cities once their time in power was over. They returned home, settled among their people, and allowed their presence to speak louder than any title.

Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first President, retired to Nsukka and remained a reference point in the East and across Nigeria. Sam Mbakwe became a moral compass for younger leaders in Imo long after he left office. These men didn’t hover around power. They projected it from home.

The problem today runs deeper than geography. It’s a matter of self-worth. Too many Igbo politicians cannot walk away from Abuja, even when they have nothing left to contribute in that space. Instead of investing time back home, they linger, seeking contracts, lobbying for appointments, and positioning themselves as errand boys to northern or western political kingmakers.

Reports of prominent Igbo figures allegedly paying huge sums just to secure ministerial nominations or lobbying for minor appointments reveal a disturbing desperation. These are not the actions of men grounded in confidence or backed by a solid political constituency.

Rather than build up the East as a power base, they abandon it. Grassroots political education, community infrastructure, and mentorship are left to chance while these so-called leaders chase after relevance in a city that treats them as expendable.

Peter Obi, for all his limitations, has disrupted this pattern. He carries an air of independence that others lack. His political brand was shaped in Anambra but refined by his deliberate distance from Abuja’s power games. His rising influence, both nationally and among the Igbo, is a direct result of his refusal to become just another name in Abuja’s quiet graveyard of Eastern politicians.

Real power is not in perpetual proximity to the seat of government. It is built through consistent engagement with one’s people, strategic silence when needed, and selective accessibility. Igbo leaders of the past understood that. They demanded respect not by begging for it, but by making themselves rare, valuable, and worthy of pursuit.

Until today’s Igbo political class learns to embody that dignity and return to build from home, they will continue to be forgotten in Abuja. Influence is not given by position; it is earned by presence and legacy. For now, many of these politicians have neither.

And until they rediscover their roots, the East will continue to remember their names less and less.

Nze Tobe Osigwe (Ezeikolomuo)
Obi Eziokwu
Nkpoka, Nnewichi Nnewi.
Afo.