Anambra Election: Igbo Stakeholders React To IPOB’s Cancellation of Sit At Home Order

Following the cancellation of the one-week sit-at-home exercise of the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), some stakeholders have applauded the leadership of the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for her critical interventions and engagements credited to the call off of the one-week sit-at-home by the pro-Biafra group.

It was gathered that the highest youth socio-cultural organization in Igboland had embarked on intensive engagement with agitators over the last week, which culminated in the setting up the Anambra Election Security Monitoring Committee, that made the far-reaching inroads in its determination to ensure that the Governorship election did not only hold but also held in an atmosphere of peace.

Shedding lights on what led to the cancellation of the one-week sit-at-home by the IPOB, contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Onwuasoanya Jones FCC, on Friday, said Ohanaeze youths, commended the pro-Biafra organization for her decision to cancel the one-week sit-at-home directive.

According to the Igbo youths, “the team met notable stakeholders, reached out to key leaders of the secessionist agitations and convinced them on the need, not only to rescind the No Election order but also to reconsider the one-week sit-at-home directive

“Fortunately, the agitators have heeded good counsel by not only cancelling the sit-at-home order but also going a step further to urge Anambra voters to turn out en masse to cast their votes for their preferred candidates”.

However, reacting to the cancellation of the exercise by the successionist leader on Friday, an Igbo chieftain from Abia State and Public Affairs analyst, Mr Maxwell Chukwudi, commended the Ohanaeze youth wing for its successful engagements and interventions, which led to the cancellation of the sit-at-home exercise, which would have negatively caused citizen’s apathy in the Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Anambra State.

According to Chukwudi, “they believe that if there is any group that should receive the most credit for this positive turn of events, it is the Youth Wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which had from the onset, not only declared its determination to ensure that the election held, but also matched words with action by moving into Anambra to drive the negotiations and engagements”.

On his part, Mrs. Janet Nwabueze, a medical doctor, lauded the Indigenous People of Biafra, for heeding to the voice of reasoning to enable the electorates exercise their rights, in the Anambra polls, which is vested on them by the constitution of the land.

He regretted that the continued exercise has heightened tension in the southeast which culminated in the heavy presence of military force and other conventional security agencies in Nigeria, to the southeast region,

She appealed to the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu to douse the tension and also other threats to the corporate existence of Nigeria, particularly in Igbo land.

He called on critical stakeholders to see to the peaceful resolution of the agitations by the pro-Biafra group in the southeast, not to continue playing into the gallery towards addressing demands of the IPOB.