Political Odysseus of Chief Madu Ndigba(An Allegory of an African leader) Part 24

CHAPTER XIII

BROKEN MYTH OF CHIEF NDIGBA’S
TOTEM AND HIS DILEMMA
The efficacy of the totem could not have been measured only in terms of its use in the choice of a wife; rather, it should have been seen in a wider context of the political ambition of the chief. Having risen high in the party hierarchy, he needed to explore the position in attaining loftier political heights for instance, as a Senator he would manipulate the system to become the Senate President, since that position was zoned to his geographical zone by political arrangement or he might even aim at the big ‘one, ‘presidency’ or vice presidency’. Normally, he could not be elected in his local government because there were more popular candidates. During ‘Abacha days’, the system allowed him to be elected, but in the new era after 1999, the competition was keener and involved more the use of ‘Ghana must go’. He was not rich but thrived on the good will of rich men who exploited his weakness, with the hope of reaping dividends in future. Since there was no guaranteed assurance of funding, he decided to court on mystical power of his totem. The oracle had advised that he upgrades the tattoo totem into life object. His problem was to secure a pool that could rear crocodiles. It would not be in grand scale as that of president Houphet Boigny.