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IPOB vows to lead South East, South South on 2019 polls boycott

By Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
19 July 2018   |   4:06 am
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) says it will lead the South East and South South geo-political zones to boycott the 2019 elections, stressing that it is the only way to set the poor Nigerian masses free.

Supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) / AFP PHOTO / STEFAN HEUNIS

Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) says it will lead the South East and South South geo-political zones to boycott the 2019 elections, stressing that it is the only way to set the poor Nigerian masses free.

It stated that participating in the country’s electoral process had become counter-productive, with the permanent voter’s card (PVC) becoming a tool of enslavement.In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Secretary, Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafra group warned that campaigning for votes in the two zones next year would amount to sheer waste of time.

Reviewing what it described as the “disgraceful charade that passed as Ekiti State governorship election ai the weekend”, IPOB said voting in Nigeria under the present political arrangement “is meaningless.”

The statement read in part: “Under the current electoral conditions in Nigeria, PVC has transmuted from a supposedly potent object of freedom to one of bondage. IPOB worldwide, therefore, restates categorically and for purposes of clarity that it would boycott all elections in Nigeria come 2019.

“Presidential elections next year will afford IPOB an opportunity to demonstrate its cast iron determination to set Biafra free by totally shutting down South East and South South regions.

“Anybody campaigning, seeking or hoping to get IPOB to participate in any election is wasting his time.“Should other parts of Nigeria wish to continue living in denial and keep participating in what is essentially an organised fraud, then they are welcome to do so. South East and South South will not vote and will not be part of it.

“By going out to vote, instead of demanding their freedom, the masses are only helping tyrants legalise rigging and electoral fraud. What people are doing by voting is willingly and legally renewing their pain and suffering every four years.”

Restating its stance on self-determination, IPOB expressed regret that some South East, South South and Middle Belt leaders were still calling for restructuring, instead of asking for referendum before 2019.“How would South East and South South want to participate in an election where INEC chairman and the director of operations are Fulani, and where the number of under-age voters in Kano is more than all eligible voters of South East and South South zones?” it queried.

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