Stephen Ukandu, News & Features Editor
The agitation for power shift to South-EEast in 2023, has taken a sudden twist as Igbo youths under the umbrella of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, have threatened a total boycott of the elections if the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, deny South-East their presidential tickets.
The youths also vowed to lock down the entire Igboland on February 25, 2023, and March 12, 2023, during the presidential and national assembly polls as well as governorship and house of assembly polls respectively, saying that both elections make no meaning to the people.
They further threatened to fully join the agitation for Biafra restoration, arguing that Ndigbo should no longer be forced to belong to Nigeria if they will not be given a sense of belonging.
According to the youths, without justice, equity and fair play, Nigeria’s continuity as a geo-political entity will not survive beyond 2023 if the rest of the country will continue to conspire against Ndigbo.
The Igbo youths under the aegis of Ohanaeze Youth Council took the position after their National Expanded Executive Council meeting in Enugu on Friday, May 20.
Other far-reaching decisions were reached at the meeting according to a communiqué jointly signed by the National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka; and the AG. National Secretary, Comrade Ifeanyi Nweke.
Below is a full text of the communiqué made available to Ikengaonline:
“COMMUNIQUE OF THE OHANAEZE YOUTH COUNCIL (OYC) AT THE END OF HER NATIONAL EXPANDED EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING HELD IN ENUGU THIS DAY 20TH MAY, 2022 FOR CRITICAL EVALUATION OF NIGERIA’S PRESIDENT OF SOUTHEAST EXTRACTION PROJECT 2023.
“THE COUNCIL AGREED THAT ALL PERCEIVED CONSPIRACIES TO DENY SOUTH-EAST PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS OF APC AND PDP THE TICKETS OF THE LEADING POLITICAL PARTIES WILL CAUSE A TOTAL BOYCOTT OF 2023 GENERAL ELECTION BY NDIGBO AND MAY ENCOURAGE THE CALL FOR SEPERATION OF NDIGBO FROM NIGERIA.
- “In view of the recent conspiracy and political permutations against Ndigbo, (the South East extraction of the Nigerian formation) the apex Igbo Youth organization of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council, (OYC) hereby issues stringent advice to the leadership of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC ) as well as that of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to jettison any plan or attempt to deny presidential aspirants from South-East the candidacy for both APC and PDP in the next 2023 presidential election as this may finally bring a sudden end to Nigeria as one united entity.
- “Furthermore, we declare that if APC and PDP deny Southeast presidential aspirants their political party tickets, there will be total lockdown in Igbo land on 25th February 2023 which is the day of the Presidential and National Assembly elections. Also, a total lockdown will take place on 11th March 2023 which is the day of Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections as the elections are not in the interest of Ndi Igbo.
- “To this effect, Ndigbo will boycott 2023 general elections if APC and PDP deny South-East presidential aspirants tickets as this will be an indication that Ndigbo are not needed as a part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hence the need to review the amalgamation that joined us all as one country called Nigeria.
- “Again, there will be no access road to distribute electoral materials in any polling unit in Igbo land. If the powers that be in Nigeria can’t give South-East presidency that which is duly our turn to rule the country like other extractions of the country have been given fair chances, then Igbos will peacefully have no other option than to leave this union called Nigeria.
- “We want to use this medium to advise Ndigbo living in the Northern parts of Nigeria to immediately start taking their security very serious if APC and PDP deny South-East presidential aspirants, adequate arrangements should be made for their return back home.
- “The World should bear in mind that this orchestrated conspiracy against South-East is overdue, we cannot take it any longer as the struggle for the emancipation of our people starts now.
- “For the western world, we’re aware that Ndigbo are their bread and butter, little wonder they aid incompetent people to govern Nigeria and Africa at large, so we can remain at their mercy. It is evidently clear that the hope of Africa lies in Nigeria, while the hope of Nigeria lies in Ala-Igbo and to liberate Nigeria lies in Nigeria President of South-East extraction in 2023.
- “If the Northern people don’t accept or believe in rotational presidency, there shouldn’t be any reason for quota system and federal character, because federal character has been the POLICY of sharing formula, it’s solely the right of South-East to produce the next president of Nigeria come 2023. We are all aware that if quota system is scrapped that means that some children in Northern part of Nigeria will not compete favourably in education and in federal limelight both in politics and civil service jobs. If the cut-off mark in secondary and university is kept according to merit, almost a good number of children in the North cannot access secondary and university education in Nigeria with the records of poor outing at every entrance of National examinations.
- It’s important to note that quota system and federal character have helped the Northern people of Nigeria. If the recruitment of Police, Immigration officers, Prison Officers, DSS, NSCDC, Army, Navy, Custom, Fire Service, Road Safety and other security agencies are done on merit, the Northern part of Nigeria wouldn’t have up to 20% in those agencies. If the recruitment is done by merit only Southern part of Nigeria will dominate and South-East will make an impressive impact. South-East presidential project is “Sacrosanct”, the North should stop shifting the goal post to suit them whenever it comes to issues that concern equality and fairness of all Nigerians irrespective of where they come from.
- “The experiences of the South-East and how the region has been treated since the end of the “1966-1970 Genocide” suggest that the South-East is not part of Nigeria. The issues of Ministerial appointments are just to say, it’s a tokenism to Ndigbo whose technocratic expertise is unequalled in Nigeria. What we get are certain ministerial appointments and that suggests tactical exclusion from the main running of Nigeria. The South-East is not considered for ministerial appointments into Defence, Works, Power and other sensitive ones. Even when we are appointed into Education our highly learned people are made subordinate Ministers. A laughable case was when Professor Anthony Anwuka was a junior Minister to someone whose academic experience is miles away with that of the Professor. Appointments such as Inspector General of Police, Immigration Comptroller, Director of DSS, Chief of Naval Staff and so on are not meant for Igbos. To this effect, South-East wouldn’t be part of such country with lopsided appointments anymore.
- “We have argued about the fake and false census population figure all as a conspiracy against Ndigbo, yet no one has challenged us that Ndigbo constitute a large number of the total population of Nigeria. In all the states of this federation, if one removes the indigenous people, Ndigbo are the second immediate largest number. We challenge Federal Government of Nigeria to dispute this fact, by adding state of Origin during Census exercise. History and practical reality show that everywhere in the world those who live along the coastal regions are far more populated than those who live near the deserts yet in Nigeria these facts are turned upside down.
- “It’s a fact that an average Igbo man doesn’t need to be favoured before he can excel. We are in the markets and that entrepreneurial spirit is in us; the evidence is that Ndigbo have done wonders with £20 given to them as their only bank account balance from 1970 till date after the civil war. What we need is a common level playing ground and not to be suspected, restricted or intimidated at every slightest opportunity. Social inequalities have now resulted in the demand by various parts of Southern Nigeria who demand for a peaceful break away from Nigeria. When you forcefully allow Injustice, Marginalization and Inequality become the other of the day in Nigeria, you also lack the moral right to demand that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. We will not bore you with uncountable lists of countries who have peacefully separated and are doing well today. When people talk about separatist groups in Nigeria it’s possible some are ideological while some are movements.
- “In the South-East for example the 95% of Ndigbo are already disenchanted with the suffering and lack of equal opportunities in Nigeria. Therefore, demanding for Nigeria President of South-East extraction remains crucial to the hearts of Igbos (the South-East extraction) who are committed to make appeals to the rest of Nigerians to understand Ndigbo in the absence of which Nigeria would push South-East away from the Federation. Let us recall that many people who today rewrite the facts of the 1966-1970 Genocide forget that this was how it started. Either the refusal to listen to the voice of reasoning or the discarding of an agreement as was the case in the Aburi Accord. Discarding the zoning principle and denying South-East presidency in 2023 is like discarding the “ABURI ACCORD” which came with a consequence. Therefore, there will be unavoidable consequences if South-East is denied president of Nigeria in 2023.
- “The Council resolved that If injustice and marginalization against the South-East are what have now characterised Nigeria as a country despite Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s fraudulent “No Victor No Vanquish”, then, there is no basis for Nigeria’s continuous unity and South-East will not be part of Nigeria beyond 2023.
- “The Council, therefore, calls on well meaning Nigerians especially the North to understand that all the negative happenings in Nigeria especially insecurity are signs of “red flags” that require urgent patriotic attention and call their political leaders to order by promoting peace and unity. The Northern, South-West and South-South presidential aspirants might pervert justice against South-East and have the tickets yet there wouldn’t be any Nigeria to govern. Their actions will to a large extent set Nigeria into extinction. To South-East political elites who constitute only 2% and who are openly and shamelessly sabotaging this clarion call of the South-East and dare the curse of elders, we ask you to immediately retrace your steps as our collective history as a people has never favoured those who sabotage us. We’re keeping record and list of betrayal and Saboteurs in Igbo land. There will be an immediate consequence, such consequences will be remarkable and historical that No Igbo person in the next generation will dare to betray Ndigbo.
“In Conclusion, we expect political actors in Nigeria to be extremely careful to avert explosion of Nigeria. It’s truism that both Middle Belt, Core North, South-East, South-West and South-South have various dimensions of crisis unlike even what happened in 1966 that was one sided, yet it plugged Nigeria into flames. Today Nigeria is wearing a uniform of political and economic crisis, religious intolerance, separatist agitations. Nigeria must make a choice to include Southeast in Nigeria by considering the region for presidency in 2023 or push Southeast out of Nigeria, by denying the region the presidency in 2023.”
