The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation has blamed the failures of Ndigbo to adequately participate in the recently concluded Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, online voters registration exercise on the South-East leadership.
Ohanaeze, said following a thorough internal investigation
into the dismal performance of the Southeast region, it finds themselves
compelled to deliver this unvarnished truth to the Igbo people.
The pan-Igbo group stated that the figures are stark and
deeply concerning. According to Ohanaeze, during the one-week online registration
exercise, from August 18th to August 25th, 2025, the entire Southeast region
recorded a profoundly unacceptable 1,998 new voter registrations.
This is contained in a statement issued on Monday by the
factional Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Chief
Thompson Ohia, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki, noting that the
paltry sum stands in stark contrast to the 1.3 million Nigerians registered
nationwide.
Part of the statement read: “Astonishingly, the Southwest region
registered a staggering 848,359 new voters, followed by the North-Central
region with 250,218. These figures represent a profound and unacceptable
underperformance for the Southeast.
“Therefore, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, driven by an unwavering
commitment to the welfare and future of Ndigbo, issues this imperative: Every
eligible Igbo voter must, without hesitation, register during the ongoing INEC
in-person voters registration exercise.
“Our internal investigations reveal a catastrophic failure
of leadership and a glaring lack of awareness among the Southeast electorate
regarding the significance of the online registration process.
“The absence of participation in Anambra State, where not a
single individual registered, is particularly egregious and demands immediate
condemnation.
“We hold all political leaders in Anambra State accountable,
including Governor Chukwuma Soludo and former Governor Peter Obi, for their
dereliction of duty.
“Their failure to mobilize eligible citizens for this
crucial exercise represents a profound betrayal of trust. The blame, however,
extends far beyond Anambra. We castigate the Southeast governors, whose focus
on narrow political agendas has demonstrably overshadowed the paramount
political interests of the Igbo people.
“While Ohanaeze Ndigbo itself acknowledges its own
shortcomings in this endeavor, the traditional rulers and Southeast civil
rights groups are also implicated in this collective failure. This
irresponsible conduct has rendered the Southeast a political caricature in the
eyes of the nation.
“These leaders have committed a grave political sacrilege,
an unforgivable blunder, by failing to mobilize the Igbo people for this vital
registration process. Ohanaeze Ndigbo now summons its righteous resolve to call
upon Ndigbo to seize control of their destiny.
“The ongoing INEC in-person voters registration exercise,
which commenced on August 26th, 2025, and will continue for one year, until
August 31st, 2026, presents an opportunity for redemption. During this period,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo will relentlessly exert pressure on the Southeast governors,
the 95 Local Government Area chairmen under ALGON, traditional rulers,
religious organizations, civil rights organizations, presidents of Igbo town
unions, Igbo market associations, student groups, and all relevant stakeholders
to mobilize every eligible individual to register.
“We cannot afford to be excluded from this critical
electoral process. Failure to register will have dire consequences.
“Nothing that the Southeast will continue to suffer
exclusion from the center, and the cries of ‘marginalization,’ though
self-inflicted in this instance, will amplify the suffering of the Igbo people.
The Igbo organisation explained that this is a clarion call
and rallying cry to all Igbo across Nigeria to participate in the INEC voters
registration exercise across the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.”
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