Anyim Pius Anyim, former Senate President, has spoken a hard truth that many in the Southeast do not want to hear, but which must be said: Nobody from the Southeast will become President if there is no alliance with other regions.
This is the political reality of Nigeria. The presidency is not won by sentiment, it is won by numbers, by bridges, by alliances. The Southeast alone cannot produce a President. We must build bridges to the North, to the Southwest, to the South-South, to every region.
That is why Anyim’s decision to join the APC is strategic and in the best interest of the Southeast. The APC is the platform that serves that interest of national alliance. It is the ruling party with national spread and national structure. To remain in isolation and opposition is to remain outside the conversation where power is negotiated.
The President is entitled to a second term. That is the norm. After his term, rotation goes to the North, and then it will come to the Southeast. This is how power rotation works. You support others today, so that they will support you tomorrow. You cannot reap where you have not sown.
Anyim understands this. He understands that politics is about patience, strategy and partnership. The Southeast must learn to support others so that others will support us when our time comes.