THE AFRICA REPORT
The nomination of Bianca, widow of the Biafra secessionist movement leader Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, as the designated minister of state for foreign affairs in Wednesday’s cabinet reshuffle surprised many Nigerians.
President Bola Tinubu, who garnered 5.8% of the votes in Nigeria’s Igbo-dominated South East during the last election, appointed the widow of South East hero Chukwuemeka Ojukwu as the latest member of his cabinet, raising the question of whether this could alter Nigeria’s political map ahead of the 2027 election?
As millions of Nigerians awaited the news of Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle, many did not expect to see the name of Bianca Ojukwu on the list of new ministerial nominees. The ex-beauty queen is not a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), having supported the presidential campaign of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi in 2023.
During the buildup to the 2023 poll, she penned an article on Obi which went viral on social media. Bianca defended Obi’s refusal to play money politics.
“If this way of life is what is derided as ‘stinginess’ on the part of Peter Obi, then we all need to adopt this mould for a more sustainable and more humane environment,” she said.
Now, as a minister, her new job would entail defending Tinubu’s policies, especially in her region, where the president has the least support. She also would no longer be able to openly support Obi, who remains a staunch critic of the current administration and continues to enjoy a cult following in the South East, where he polled nearly 90% of the votes in the 2023 election.
The Biafra angle
Although not a politician, Bianca is respected as the wife of the late Ojukwu, who led the Biafran people in the war for secession between 1967 and 1970, when over one million people, mostly children, were killed on the Biafran side (now mostly South East Nigeria). Despite suffering defeat in the war, Ojukwu remained a hero in the South East and subsequently tried to transform this support into votes when he joined partisan politics and ran for president on the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) ticket.
While APGA was supported mainly in Anambra State, producing popular candidates like Obi in the 2003 election, Ojukwu’s popularity did not translate to votes in the general election as he lost the presidential election in 2003 and 2007, garnering less than 23% of the votes from the South East in both elections.
But things have since changed. The South East has in recent years lamented political marginalisation, which has metamorphosed into a violent secessionist agitation that has led to weekly lockdowns and the death of hundreds.
In 2023, Obi’s candidacy was seen by many in the region as an opportunity to correct the seeming wrongs done to the South East. Coupled with support from Christian conservatives and educated urban youths, who saw him as a departure from Nigeria’s corrupt political class, Obi garnered over 6.1 million votes across the country. He also polled 89.6% of the votes cast in the South East, more than triple the percentage that Ojukwu garnered when he contested.
Enter Bianca
Since the war ended, Obi remains the only politician from the South East who has come close to winning the presidential election. Even so, he still fell short by two million votes.
No doubt, Bianca Ojukwu was appointed to undermine Obi’s influence in the region, says Deji Adeyanju, a public affairs commentator and activist. But he doesn’t believe Bianca’s appointment will make much of a difference.
“Even if Tinubu wakes up Ojukwu from the grave and appoints him minister, Igbos will not vote for him,” he adds.
But Joe Igbokwe, who hails from Ojukwu’s community of Nnewi, says Bianca’s appointment is a big political move and an honour to Ojukwu.
Igbokwe, who is a chieftain of the ruling APC and protégé of Tinubu, adds that there are still some political moves that the party needs to make to bring the South East closer.
“The South East has the smallest number of states, which means it has the least number of governors and seats in the federal parliament and cabinet. If the South East could have one extra state, it would be a game changer and will heal civil war wounds,” says Igbokwe, whose house was burnt down by secessionists.
