Nation
PVC: Anger over ‘attack’ on Igbo
By OBINNA EZUGWU
Angry reactions have continued to trail the reported attacks by thugs on traders mostly of Igbo extraction who wanted to register and secure their permanent voter cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2023 general election in the Ojo, Alaba area of Lagos.
The Alaba International Market union leaders had ordered closure of the market to enable traders register in the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR).
However, the traders who trooped to INEC registration points at Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ago Palace Way, and some parts of Isolo, were attacked by thugs suspected to be loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Similarly, registrants at the Ikotun-Egbe, Ejigbo and Idimu axis alleged that they were given pieces of papers instead of their PVCs because they are Igbo.
Recalling what transpired on Thursday, witness, Perpetua Nwachu, said, “I was there live. It happened this morning at Igbede Ojo Alaba Lagos. Thugs flogging Igbos, you can see them. Police came and chase us away. I ran home.”
Viral videos had shown thugs kicking and flogging the traders as they attempted to register for votes on Thursday, a development that has continued to generate angry reactions.
Particularly in Ojo, attempts by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register those on ground ended in chaos as hoodlums disrupted the process, leaving several injured.
Reacting to the incident, Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), the youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, condemned the reported attack on its people.
Mr. Okwu Nnabuike, president of the OYC in a statement on behalf of the organisation on Friday, said, “several videos currently circulating on social media show several youths being attacked by thugs where they had gone to obtain their Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs.
“They could be heard wailing in the video that despite closing shops for that purpose, some hired thugs had prevented them from obtaining the card.
“Some Igbo youths sustained injuries in the process. We have already been pushed to the walls, what they are doing now amounts to pushing Ndigbo beyond the walls and the consequences could be drastic.
“The two major political parties in the country cannot deny the South-east presidential ticket and at the same time deny them the opportunity to exercise their franchise.
“This is a call for total anarchy in the land and we are urging the security agencies to rise to the occasion,” Okwu said.
The OYC called on the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, “to call their people to order.
“We are saying this because Bola Tinubu has serious hatred for Ndigbo which he demonstrated by shunning the entire South-east during his consultations with delegates ahead of his party’s primary election.
“We do not begrudge him as it is within his right to choose who to interact with. However, what we will not condone is the mindless and unprovoked attack on Igbos resident in Lagos State.
“If those behind this mayhem are not doing his bidding, he should come out and condemn their actions in strong terms.
“We also call on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deploy registration materials to churches and other public places in Lagos in order to give Nigerians free access.”
Similarly, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while reacting to the incident, accused Bola Tinubu of employing violence to stop Nigerians, especially those of Southeast extraction from obtaining their PVCs out of fear of losing the presidential election to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement by Debo Ologunagba, its spokesman, the main opposition party said Tinubu has been in morbid fear of the soaring popularity of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hence the attempt by the APC to stop Nigerians from obtaining their PVCs to vote in the elections; an action that portend serious threat and danger to our democratic process.
“Nigerians are disturbed by the dastardly action instigated by leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevent citizens, particularly people of the South East region resident in Lagos State from collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to enable them vote in the 2023 general elections,” the statement said.
“That action by the APC in Lagos is part of its desperate design to use violence to sabotage free, fair and credible elections in 2023 having realized that Nigerians have rejected its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the polls.
“Asiwaju Tinubu has been in morbid fear of the soaring popularity of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hence the attempt by the APC to stop Nigerians from obtaining their PVCs to vote in the elections; an action that portend serious threat and danger to our democratic process.
“Is it not an irony that the party of the government of the day that pretends to have the support of the people and professes continuity is busy chasing away prospective voters?
“It is particularly disturbing that this pattern is a resurgence of previous attempt in 2019 where APC leaders harassed Nigerians, especially the people of the South East and threatened to throw them into the Lagoon should they vote for any other party other than the APC.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC must know that they cannot surmount the determination of Nigerians who are now rallying on the platform of the PDP to use this 2023 general elections to take back their country from the stranglehold and misrule of the corrupt, incompetent, inhumane and rudderless APC.
In its part, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) the umbrella body of all the youth groups in the Southeast, expressed displeasure over the attack.
In a statement issued Friday, the president-general of the Coalition, Hon. Goodluck Ibem described the attack as wicked, barbaric, and unacceptable.
The youth group demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those hoodlums who attacked Igbo law-abiding citizens who came to perform their lawful civic duties by registering for their PVC as required by law.
According to them for such an incident to occur in a voter registration centre shows a serious security lapse in the state.
“The Commissioner of Police and other security agencies are not living up to expectation, Something urgent needs to be done to avoid a reoccurrence of such ugly incident.”
They warned those thugs and their sponsors not to dare such attack again on Igbo traders or else they will meet a corresponding response.
“Nobody has a monopoly of violence. Enough of such insult on Ndigbo.”
They called on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to immediately provide 100 voter registration centres at the Alaba international market to enable the traders to register for their PVCs because that is the only way to avoid such fruition.
He said that Ndigbo has never attacked Yorubas living in Southeast so why the attack on innocent and law-abiding Igbos who just obeyed the law by coming out to register for their PVCs.
Also condemning the attack, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, vowed to resist intimidation. In a statement by Gbenga Ogunleye, his spokesman, the PDP candidate asked INEC to take proactive measures in forestalling rising incidents of glitch in the exercise.
He added that complaints from Lagosians at various registration centres across the state on the slow pace of the registration exercise require urgent attention.
“Traders from Alaba International Market who shut the market yesterday to allow them participate in the continuous voters registration exercise were frustrated with the lackluster performance of the INEC officials. It was reported that some of these traders were attacked by politically motivated thugs because of their perceived sympathy for the PDP,” he said.
Adediran called on INEC to respond swiftly to the reactions of these set of Lagosians “who are willing to perform their civil obligation before the deadline set for the exercise”.
He also warned the hoodlums and the Lagos government to desist from harassing and intimidating residents who are bent on exercising their civic responsibilities and “fed up with the misrule of the ruling party”.
He commended the Alaba traders for their “selfless sacrifice” and others who took time off from their private engagement to get their PVC. He assured them that any attempt to attack or disenfranchise them henceforth will be met with stiff resistance.
INEC Reacts
Meanwhile, INEC in Lagos State has expressed concern over the development, but promised to provide adequate security to enable hitch free registration process going forward.
A statement on Thursday, by James Oludele Popoola, the administrative secretary of the commission in the state, on behalf of the resident electoral commissioner, INEC, Lagos State, said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Lagos State has observed with concern recent happenings in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise in the State.
“The Commission at this point wishes to inform and assure all residents that adequate security and machinery have been put in place to capture all eligible voters.
“To this end, the Commission has provided more registration (i.e. IVED) machines in the State and these IVED machines will be deployed to the 200 Local Government Areas in addition to what they already have. This deployment will start from Tuesday 14th June, 2022.
“Also, the Commission will communicate necessary information surrounding the deployment of the machines within the State to Stakeholders and Leadership of various interest groups.
“All eligible citizens are thereby advised to remain calm and also encouraged to go to the nearest INEC registration centres closest to them.
Police Speak
In his reaction, the spokesman for the Lagos Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said there was no ethnic colouration to the incident, rather, misunderstanding between intending registrants.
“First, this wasn’t about Igbo. These are the true facts behind the trending videos. The entire Alaba International Market decided to close the market today to enable the traders register for their PVCs. A phased closure would have been better.
“Consequently, the Ojo Local Government venue of the registration was besieged by a mammoth crowd. The situation was made worse by the fact that only one registration terminal was working.
“One of the people who came for registration made trouble and was challenged by those around. Going by simple probability, the attacker or the attacked is very likely to be Igbo.
“They were simply large in number. However, giving this incident ethnic coloration would not help matters. The entire episode lasted a few minutes.
“Sadly, recordings from those few minutes are still traveling far and wide. Normalcy has since returned and the Divisional Police Officer there is fully in charge of the security situation.”
