from Ejike Chinedu, Lagos
Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Anyanwu Igbo has called on Igbo sons and daughters resident in Lagos to ensure they obtain the permanent voter card when the distribution commences in the state on Friday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had announced that registered voters in Lagos will receive the permanent voter card between the 7th and 9th of November.
Host of the organisation, Uche Onuh Eme made the charge in a statement made available to HOMELAND NEW in Lagos. He said that the campaign of self determination and positive engagement in the affairs of the state will be empty noise if Igbos are not able to influence who occupy any elective office through their votes.
According to the statement, many Igbos have registered to vote in their native homes but so many also registered in Lagos. Mr. Onuh insisted that if those who registered in Lagos fail to obtain the permanent voter card which is the only acceptable instrument that will confer eligibility to vote in next year’s general election, the only group that will lose are the Igbos themselves.
Since the election began to draw near, there have been agitations and counter agitations from some interest groups arguing over what is due to the Igbos living in Lagos. Some have canvassed for some political offices to be reserved for the Igbos who they say control a substantial percentage of economic power of Lagos. Political parties are currently strategizing on how best to win the support of the millions of Igbo residing in the state.
Anyanwu Igbo believes that all these will be useless and amount to nothing if at the end of the day, the people could not vote because they were not eligible to do so.
Mr. Onuh stressed that the organisation is not ignorant of the people’s desire to make Lagos as comfortable as possible but urged everyone to also remember home.
“If you go to any part of the world and don’t find and Igbo man, it simply means that no one lives there. And wherever we are, we never shy away from making statements in politics and the economy. But be that as it may, we must remember that we have a home, a place we call our own. We must think home.” He said.
