Why Ndigbo must not boycott 2019 elections- Alor

Awka Elder statesman and the Second Republic lawmaker, Chief Sylvester Nwobu Alor has made a passionate appeal to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to rescind its stand on the 2019 general elections, arguing that it would not be in the interest of the Igbo nation to boycott the polls.

IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in his latest statement said the 2019 election would not take place in the South East in pursuant to the actualisation of Republic of Biafra. But addressing a delegation of South East and South-South Forum for Good Governance who visited him in Awka, Nwobu Alor said that in as much as the people appreciated the organization’s effort to secure freedom for the Igbo, it should pursue it the right way.

According to him, the best way to achieve the desired goal would be to join forces with those who mean well for the people so that Igbo could move forward and get its due share in the Nigeria project. He said : “We all support freedom for our people, but we must fight for it the right way. You cannot win a battle from outside and that is why it is necessary for the Igbo to belong to the government at the centre where major decisions about the welfare of the people are taken.

“My belief is that if we are part of the government at the centre, we will be in a better position to get our rights. I have been praying to God to give Igbo the opportunity and I want to say that our prayers have been answered through the joint ticket of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi, who are the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, respectively, for the 2019 election.

“Fortunately for the Igbo, both Atiku and Obi are strong proponents of the restructuring of Nigeria and I believe that they will deliver on that promise if they are elected next year. That is why it is necessary for IPOB not to champion the boycott of the election because deciding not to vote will not do the Igbo any good.

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“This country belongs to all of us and if there is something to share, we must partake in it, especially when we realise that an Igbo man, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, was in the forefront for Nigeria’s independence, which is why his people should not be relegated to the background’’.

In his speech, the national president of the group, Mr. Dan Igbokwubili said his group decided to support the Atiku -Obi ticket because of the promise of the two leaders to restructure the country for the benefit of all Nigerians if elected. He explained that their members cut across the major political parties, adding that their interest was to ensure that only those who believed in the welfare of Nigerians were elected into office. He warned that it would be disastrous for the Igbo to boycott the election, noting that doing so would amount to continued suffering of Nigerians.
Vanguard.