THE Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has urged residents of South-Eastern Nigeria to ignore sit-at-home orders to boycott the 2023 elections.
A statement by the group’s National Director of Information Samuel Edeson on Wednesday, February 22 advised residents of the region to participate in the elections to avoid leaders being imposed on them against their will.
“Do not allow anybody to deceive you in the name of Biafra, because we know the real Biafra agitators and those paid to create confusion in our land. MASSOB insists that election must hold in Igboland because we cannot allow the enemies of Ndigbo to destroy our God-given land.
“It is clear that some enemies of Ndigbo have bought over some of our brothers, brainwashed them and turned them against their own people. That’s why they went about killing our own people, destroying our economy and making life difficult for our people,” Edeson noted.
The statement also described those against elections in the region as enemies.
“MASSOB wish to make it clear that as we move on with the Biafra project, which is the restoration of the Independent State of Biafra, we will not allow Igboland to remain in vacuum. That is why we advise Ndigbo to go out and vote for their preferred candidates on the 25th day of February 2023,” he noted.
There have been heightened concerns in the South-East over the forthcoming elections, following sit-at-home orders declared ahead of the exercise by a Finland-based separatist group leader, Simon Ekpa.
However, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), also known for declaring and enforcing sit-at-home orders in the region, has distanced itself from plans to boycott the elections, and urged residents to ignore the sit-at-home orders.
Traditional rulers in the South-East have also warned against the order, and are encouraging residents to participate in the voting process.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.
