Elections are supposed to be predicated on issues rather than crude and civilised touting, senseless tribalism and brigandage. In every sane society, it is normally by appealing to reasons that candidates of political parties win elections or come to power.
However, the show of shame that took place in Lagos State of Nigeria during the concluded general elections calls for reflections on the usual singsong about the unity of Nigeria. Why on this earth would some Yoruba political leaders in that state resort to crudity by provoking unwarranted attack on innocent Nigerians just because they felt that the Igbo commands significant voting strength in Lagos?
These Yoruba political touts and brigands shocked many Nigerians when their agents and mischief makers took to various social media platforms to warn Igbo people resident in Lagos not to even come out, let alone voting on the election days.
One of them, a reported parks management ‘agboro’ went as far as threatening Igbo people in that state via a video that went viral, warning of them of dire consequences if they didn’t vote for his preferred candidates. This is despicable!
The apex-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, condemned the “intimidation and nefarious acts unleashed at Igbo people residing in Lagos state before and during elections, describing them as “barefaced brutality, repression, and existential threat.”
Ohanaeze also chided some Yoruba personalities over their recent anti-Igbo slur that has been greeted with outright condemnation.
Though this is not the first time the Igbo resident in Lagos State would face this type of intimidation, harassment and attack during election as the same scenario was witnessed during elections in the recent past, the boldness and seeming silence of the leadership of that state looks suspicious.
We join other well-meaning Nigerians to outrightly condemn this rascality and new kind of ‘apartheid’ against innocent citizens in their own country.
We urge the federal government to thoroughly investigate those behind the attacks on the Igbo in Lagos with a view to prosecuting them accordingly as it could snowball into something more unpleasant.
NIGERIA NEWSPOINT