the apex socio-cultural organisation of Ndigbo, has issued a 48-hour
ultimatum to the Oba of Lagos, Alhaji Rilwan Akiolu, to "retract and
unconditionally apologise to Ndigbo" over his alleged death threat to
Ndigbo living in Lagos should they fail to vote for the All
Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Akinwumi Ambode,
on April 11.
Apart from positing that democracy confers on the electorate, the
freedom of choice, OYC said it considered the comments credited to
Akiolu as "a despicable insult on the Igbo nation, home and abroad,
least expected of a royal father in the rank of Oba of Lagos."
The group called on security agencies to invite the Oba for
questioning because of the grave dangers his current posture portends
while lambasted the monarch for employing crude arm-twisting,
obtaining by tricks tactics.
The monarch had reportedly threatened to make life unbearable for the
Igbos in Lagos if they sabotage efforts being made to ensure that
Ambode emerges as the next governor of the state.
Akiolu was said to have summoned all the Eze-Ndigbo in Lagos State to
his palace yesterday and told them: "On Saturday, if anyone of you
goes against Ambode, who I picked, that is your end. If it does not
happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not
my father who gave birth to me.
"By the grace of God, I am the owner of Lagos for the time being. On
Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against
my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the
person is going to die inside this water.
"For the Igbo and others in Lagos, they should go where the Oba of
Lagos heads to. When they were coming to the state, they did not come
with all their houses. But now, they have properties in the state. So
they must do my bidding. And that is the bidding of the ancestors of
Lagos and God.
"I am not ready to beg you. Nobody knew how I picked Ambode. Jimi is
my blood relation and I told him that he could never be governor in
Lagos for now. I am not begging anybody, but what you people cannot do
in Onitsha, Aba or anywhere you cannot do it here."
Reacting to the monarch's outburst, OYC, in a statement issued this
afternoon in Umuahia and endorsed by its National President, Mazi
Okechukwu Isiguzoro, warned that "Igbo youths will not take this
insult lightly, and unless he apologises within 48 hours he should
know he is courting our wrath."
OYC further warned that should anything happen to Ndigbo or their
business interests in Lagos in the event of APC losing the Lagos
governorship race, the Oba should be held responsible.
"Inasmuch as we do not want to get involved in Lagos politics, we want
to sound a note of warning that no Igbo should be vilified or
persecuted for his or her electoral choice in Lagos or any part of
Nigeria," the group said.
"Every Nigerian has the constitutional right to reside in any part of
the country and participate in the electoral process based on one's
convictions, and electoral choice is not a crime," it added.
Isiguzoro said "nobody no matter what he thinks he is, has the right
to command Ndigbo anywhere on who to vote for in a democratic
setting."
He said that the unprintable comments credited to the Oba had only
revealed his innate hatred for Ndigbo.
The Oba, according to him, "should be reminded that the economy of
Lagos will collapse should Ndigbo decide to pull their investments
from the commercial city."
He said that "Ndigbo have remained the most persecuted , hated and
marginalised tribe in Nigeria , yet the most enterprising and highest
contributors to the growth of its economy, peace and unity."
OYC asserted that the Igbo race needs commendation and not hatred for
their ingenuity, versatility and presence in every part of the
country, adding that God has destined Ndigbo to prosper in any part of
the world, even in hostile environments.
The group, therefore, encouraged Ndigbo in Lagos and elsewhere to vote
according to their conscience in the forthcoming polls without fear of
intimidation.
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