“Southeast won’t be part of October 1 protest”

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared that the southeast will abstain from the proposed October 1 nationwide protests.

The group made this known in a statement by its Secretary General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro on Saturday, September 29.

Isiguzoro stated that the group is encountering increasing pressure from the organizers and conveners of the forthcoming October 1st nationwide protests, dubbed “Fearless and National Survival Day.”

“These agents are, with fervent desperation, attempting to lure our Southeast residents, alongside Igbo communities residing in the Northern and Western regions, to endorse and participate in this affair.

“Disturbingly, we have uncovered that two former presidential candidates from the 2023 elections are covertly orchestrating these protests, enlisting surrogates who masquerade as civil society organizations.

“Their primary objective appears to be to secure the endorsement of the Southeast and the Igbo populace for this October 1st demonstration.

“However, it must be stated emphatically that the Igbo community has been disproportionately impacted by these economic hardships, particularly with the notorious flotation of the Naira, rendering it nearly impossible for Igbo importers and traders to conduct business effectively within Nigeria’s current socioeconomic landscape,” Isiguzoro said.

He warned that organizers of the October 1st protests are exploiting the economic hardship in the country to “ensnare our people into a movement that could have grave implications.”

“We wish to impart an unequivocal message to all Ndigbo, both at home and in the diaspora: the October 1st Nationwide Protests represent a perilous time bomb set by desperate political elites and opposition leaders intent on utilizing the Igbos as sacrificial lambs.

“Such machinations are designed to escalate the already heightened tensions that are exacerbated by the ongoing economic downturn.

“In this light, we urge our esteemed Igbo community to refrain from participating in any form of nationwide protests.

“The repercussions of such actions may not only be detrimental but could also result in the Igbos being unfairly cast as scapegoats in a larger political game.” the statement concluded.