Group seeks protection for Igbo in Lagos

AN Igbo socio-cultural group, Igbo Ekulie, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to caution the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, over his threat to the Igbo in Lagos over Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

General Secretary of the group, Okechukwu Sam Okeke, said yesterday in Abuja that the Oba’s threat should not be taken lightly, adding that Jonathan and Buhari’s intervention would go a long way to douse the tension generated by the comment.

Akiolu had allegedly told a delegation of Igbo traditional rulers across the state that whoever votes against Ambode would perish in the Lagoon, but had since denied making such comment, saying he was misquoted.

The Igbo Ekulie Secretary, who regretted that Nigerian politics has been reduced to tribal sentiments, described the Oba’s comment as intimidating, stressing that such threats could affect the growth of Nigerian democracy.

“We see this directive and threat as a dangerous drawback to the political development of this country days after an internationally-acclaimed free and fair election was conducted in Nigeria where the opposition successfully won the presidential election conducted by INEC.

The use of this dangerous ethnic and traditional tool to threaten, coarse and force Ndigbo living in Lagos to vote for the Oba’s anointed candidate, and by implication foisting a governor on them simply because they are non-indigenes is condemnable, describable and unacceptable to Ndigbo.

“These further points to a devious plot by some powerful forces within Lagos State to portray Ndigbo as enemies of the project called Nigeria. They tend to put the Igbo Nation at a crossroad and war with the incoming administration of Maj.- Gen. Muhammadu Buhari even when he has not been sworn into office”, Okeke said.

He said that Oba Akiolu should be reminded that Ndigbo constitutes over 40 per cent of the state population and must be treated with utmost respect by canvassing for their votes peacefully because of the electoral value they have instead of empty threats.

He also said the death threat must not be taken lightly but must be seen for what it is as a dangerous threat and plot calculated to paint Ndigbo black and scheme them out of political relevance.

He added: “Such threat by an influential first class Yoruba traditional ruler cannot be accepted by Ndigbo. We have not forgotten so easily how the government of Fashola arrested legitimate Ndigbo sons and daughters, clamped them into detention in Ikorodu detention centre and shipped them like captured slaves and dumped all of them at Niger Head Bridge in Onitsha in the guise of deportation from Lagos to their home states with an excuse that they were jobless Ndigbo”

He, therefore, demanded that Oba Akiolu be made to retract his statement, apologise to Ndigbo for his threat if he does not want to invoke the wrath of Ndigbo in Lagos and declared persona non grata throughout Igbo Land, and that he should be made to sign an undertaking that if anything happens to Ndigbo during the coming governorship election, he must be held responsible.