In Things Fall Apart, whom do you think the Ibo would be most likely to vote for as representing the manly idea of the clan, Okonkwo or Obierika?

Well, if you are just focusing on the element of
manliness, then you would have to pick Okonkwo without a doubt. Obierika is a character
who is notable to for his intelligence and wisdom and his friendship of Okonkwo even
when Okonkwo has been exiled by the rest of the tribe. You might want to think of the
way that Obierika questions the reasons that resulted in Okonkwo being exiled and how he
supports Okonkwo through this entire time, helping practically and emotionally. It is
also Obierika who gives a final tribute to Okonkwo when he leads the tribe in a ceremony
of cleanliness.

If you think about Okonkwo in comparison,
he is so desperate to be seen as a man that he deliberately places himself in situations
that constantly show his manliness. Consider how Okonkwo deliberately involves himself
in the murder of Ikemefuna, even though he didn't have to. He not only accompanies the
boy, but then is involved in his murder directly:

readability="9">

He heard Ikemefuna cry, "My father, they have
killed me!" as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his matchet and cut him
down. He was afraid of being thought
weak.

It is in Chapter Three
that we begin to understand something of Okonkwo's upbringing and in particular his
relationship with his father that has produced such a character as
Okonkwo:

With
a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had. He
neither inherited a barn nor a title, not even a young wife. But in spite of these
disadvantages, he had begun even in his father's lifetime to lay the foundations of a
prosperous future. It was slow and painful.But he threw himself into it like one
possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father's contemptible life and
shameful death.

Thus we can
see that Okonkwo's desperate desire to show himself as many--killing Ikemefuna,
wrestling and so on--stems from how his father was not manly and a terrible fear that he
might have inherited something of those characteristics. Thus, clearly the tribe would
vote for Okonkwo in the situation you have outlined.