You can't stop election in the South-East, Ohanaeze dares IPOB

Ohanaeze said IPOB has not claimed responsibility for any attacks since its establishment.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said elections will hold in the South-East despite repeated threats by the proscribed group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to the contrary.

The group maintained that the South-East people's determination to take part in the elections is overwhelming enough to wade off any distraction.

This comes amidst growing fears that the upcoming general elections might be postponed due to rising cases of insecurity in some parts of the country, particularly in the South-East.

Pulse reports that some armed groups claiming affiliation with IPOB have continued to cause mayhem in the region by burning down Independent National Electoral Commission offices, and attacking innocent citizens while insisting that the region will not participate in the 2023 elections.

Ohanaeze reacts: But, in an interview with Saturday Punch, the spokesman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, said IPOB had not claimed responsibility of any attack since its establishment.

He stressed that the security challenges within the region will not deter the people from participating in the February and March poll.

Ogbonnia's words: "IPOB will not and they cannot stop this election from holding. There have been instances in the past like the second tenure of Governor (Willie) Obiano, the IPOB said there won’t be any election and a lot of us at the Igbo level, we intervened and election was held.

“Even in Anambra State, they said there won’t be an election, but the elders of Igboland intervened and an election was held.”

“It is possible that they may have made some remarks regarding that, but it is heart-warming that there would always be an intervention. People are free with their comments but ultimately elections must be held."

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