PRESS STATEMENT by Ohanaeze Youth Council
The attention of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), led by Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, has been drawn over a video being circulated on social media which captured the Chairman of the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, on his threat and intimidation of Ndigbo resident in the state against voting for candidates of their choice in Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
In the viral video, the Bola Tinubu’s loyalist cum All Progressives Congress (APC) political thug, MC Oluomo was seen addressing a gathering of APC loyalists and threatening Igbos not to participate or bother going to their polling units on Saturday if they intended to vote for candidates of other parties other than those of the ruling party, APC, in the state. He categorically warned Igbos in Lagos to stay at home if they will not vote for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC and other candidates of the party.
It could easily be recalled that the same MC Oluomo was caught on camera preventing Igbos in his polling unit in Fehintola Giwa Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos, from voting for their preferred candidates during the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state while the police personnel stationed at that polling unit looked on and did nothing to curtail his excesses. It was also alleged that this MC Oluomo ensured that electoral materials did not get to their destinations.
The Nigerian constitution gave Nigerians the freedom to vote and be voted for. But APC political thugs and Tinubu’s loyalists in the mould of MC Oluomo are saying that they are above the law and Nigerians do not have that freedom to vote in Lagos and that it is either you vote for them or you don’t vote at all.
The position of Ndigbo is simple: that based on good governance and equitable sharing of the dividends of democracy for the best interest of Lagos and Lagosians, we the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) under the dogged leadership of Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka have endorsed the Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) to steer the ship of the state in the next four years and it is well within our democratic rights and freedom as citizens of Nigeria to participate in the election and vote for our preferred candidates in tomorrow’s gubernatorial and hose of assembly polls.
In view of the foregoing, we shall hold MC Oluomo, the Commissioner of Police and Inspector General of Police and other security agencies responsible should anything untoward happens to Igbos and other non-indigenes in Lagos as a result of their participation in the election or voting for their preferred candidates on Saturday. Ndigbo will not continue to tolerate or condone acts of hatred, attacks or threats unleashed against them by elements of undemocratic tenets and disruption. The footprints are all over the state.
MC Oluomo’s political thuggery in Lagos has exceeded all boundaries and now poses a serious threat to national security. He must be brought to justice before he stokes or ignites ethnic violence all over the country. If the Nigerian police have decided to ignore or look the other way at all these threats, one too many of MC Oluomo and have refused to arrest him over his numerous threats against Ndigbo, it simply validates the insinuations that the security agency is biased in its operations. We would not, at this critical time, want to re-echo the insinuations of the dubious complicity of the police involvement in electoral mal-practices and violence making rounds in Lagos state but if they continue to maintain absolute silence and refuse to investigate and arrest MC Oluomo over his overbearing excesses, abuses and threats against Ndigbo in Lagos, then the belief that the police is complicit in his nefarious and unwholesome activities in Lagos will be accepted to be true.
Ndigbo are being disrespected and provoked unnecessarily as a result of their choice of candidates and political affiliations. When thugs come out openly to issue threats against democratic processes, without being cautioned, questioned or called to order or arrested, it shows that they definitely have the police or other instruments of the state in their pockets.
The exercise of one’s fundamental rights is sacrosanct, and willful and should not be breached by anyone using whichever instrumentality or sentiments. As every tribe in Nigeria has the right and liberty to align with whichever political party or persons they choose to so as Ndigbo should not be threatened, intimidated or attacked due to their political affiliations.
We, therefore, give the Commissioner of Police Lagos State and Inspector General of Police to arrest MC Oluomo and cohorts within 3hrs or Ndigbo will resort to Self-defense at every polling Unit. Enough is enough!
Signed: Chukwuemeka Chimerue, Media and Publicity,
Disclaimer:
The opinions and views expressed in this write-up are entirely that of the Writer(s). They do not reflect the opinions and views of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or any of its employees. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or its employees concerning the legal status of any country, its authority, area or territory or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Equally, the sketches, images, pictures and videos are obtained from the public domain.
