The Apex Igbo Socio-cultural and political Organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has distanced the five Southeast states from any planned protest against the Tinubu government, stating in clear terms that Igbos will not participate in the proposed June 12 Democracy Day nationwide protest.
The group recounts that in previous protests against government actions in the country, the Igbos were unjustly demonized and treated as scapegoats, resulting in tragic consequences.
In a statement on Sunday by the National Deputy President of the Ohanaeze faction, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group explained that the decision is not to withdraw from civic responsibility, but rather a strategic response aimed at safeguarding Igbo lives and properties across Nigeria, noting that Igbos’ properties are always targeted each time such protest occurs.
Isiguzoro further asserted that even if such gatherings will be permitted across the seven Igbo-speaking states, the fundamental issues concerning the Igbo must be addressed adequately by the Nigerian government.
He added that the prevailing insecurity in the Southeast renders any form of protest imprudently hazardous, maintaining that the Igbo nation shall not participate in any national protests until our pressing demands are duly recognized and acted upon.
The statement read: “In light of extensive consultations with key Igbo stakeholders, Ohanaeze Ndigbo hereby announces a decisive and unequivocal stance regarding the upcoming June 12 Democracy Day protests.
“This decision is not a withdrawal from civic responsibility, but rather a strategic response aimed at safeguarding Igbo lives and properties across Nigeria, particularly within the Southeast region.
“We proclaim that the Igbo people will refrain from participating in these protests, and assert that no gatherings will be permitted across the seven Igbo-speaking states until the fundamental issues concerning the Igbo are addressed adequately by the Nigerian government.
“Our historical involvement in national protests has left us with bitter memories marred by betrayal and violence, and over the last 65 years since Nigeria’s independence, evidence has shown that during previous protests against government actions, Igbos have been unjustly demonized and treated as scapegoats, resulting in tragic consequences.
“Moreover, the prevailing insecurity in the Southeast renders any form of protest imprudently hazardous. It is crucial to emphasize that the Igbo nation shall not participate in any national protests until our pressing demands are duly recognized and acted upon.
“Most critically, the immediate release of all Igbo prisoners of conscience unjustly detained in various prisons, and notable among those is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, along with others.
“The federal government has demonstrated selective justice by dismissing felony charges against certain individuals while our own brothers remain imprisoned without just cause. This double standard cannot continue.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo feels compelled to convey a sobering truth to Mr. President not to misinterpret our non-involvement in national protests as a sign of weakness. We recognize the precarious state of democracy in Nigeria, and while June 12 serves as a reminder of our collective struggle for democratic governance, the Igbo remain resolute in the face of adversity.”
