The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has insisted that forthcoming governorship election in Anambra will not hold.
The group has ordered its members and other freedom fighters in the area to stay at home on voting day November 18.
The group’s publicity secretary Emma Powerful said the voting was a test case for IPOB and its allies in Biafra territory and that boycotting would send a statement to the international community about the seriousness of the agitation for Biafra.
The body maintained that it must teach corrupt Igbo politicians that money cannot buy IPOB as they are special breed untainted by the corrupt tendencies of Nigerian politics.
“Every genuine Biafran desiring of freedom for Biafra from this Islamic bondage of Hausa Fulani caliphate called Nigeria, must not only stay at home on that day, but must also make sure those around them do not vote. November 18, 2017 is a date with history,” he said in a statement in Awka, Anambra.
“If we Biafrans succeed in demonstrating before international observers that we are serious about our freedom by locking down Anambra State on that day, the world will be in no doubt that Biafra is unstoppable.
“Locking down Anambra State will pave the way for IPOB to announce a date for substantive referendum later next year with or without the approval of Nigeria.
“Events in Catalonia and Kurdistan have pointed the way forward for we Biafrans because it was clearly demonstrated by both nations that we can call for and conduct our referendum with or without the cooperation of Nigeria.
Powerful added, “Election boycott is the only legitimate tool left in the hands of we oppressed people to register our displeasure with the ongoing genocide in our land, arbitrary arrests, torture and reign of saboteurs in government houses across Biafraland. If we vote, Nigeria will never again take Biafra agitation serious.
The whole world is watching to see how serious we are towards the realisation of this great nation of Biafra. The successful boycott of the election come November 18 will prove to the entire world how determined we are towards having our own new nation where all men will be equal before the law.
“For the sake of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who was abducted and presumably murdered by the Hausa-Fulani rulers of Nigeria and their co-conspirators in Igboland, especially Igbo governors and Ohaneze leadership, we must as a people boycott the elections.
“For the sake of the blood of our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters murdered in cold by Buhari, Buratai, Willy Obiano and Okezie we must boycott the elections. For the sake of our hope and collective aspiration as a people unfulfilled and down trodden in Nigeria, we must boycott this every other election in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government, Igbo governors and certain sections of Ohaneze Ndigbo leadership have been pouring billions of Naira into a well prepared media propaganda to try and tarnish the clean image of IPOB and that of our leader with no success.
“Every lie and fabrication have been cleverly deployed by these conspirators through their well paid and compromised media houses to sell fear and anarchy to the people of Anambra State. The truth remains that corrupt Igbo politicians want to destroy IPOB by all means because they know we represent the people and will never take money from Abuja to compromise the struggle as they have all done.
“They were the people that begged Buratai to bring his Islamic army into our land to kill our brothers and sisters because they value the crumbs they are getting from Abuja over our well-being as a people.
Meanwhile, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says no fewer than 8, 000 corps members presently serving in Anambra will be available for the conduct of the forthcoming governorship election.
Mr Ebenezer Olawale, the NYSC Coordinator in the state, said this in Awka on Sunday.
Olawale said the data of corps members in the state had been transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for planning ahead of the Nov. 18 election.
He said more corps members would be moblilised from neighbouring states in case of shortfall.
“It is no longer news that the NYSC is partnering with INEC in the conduct of credible, fair and good elections, Anambra’s case is not different.
“My office and that of the Resident Electoral Commission have been working assiduously to ensure that corps members participate fully in the exercise.
“As we all know, corps members are supposed to be non-partisan, they are not from this state, so we expect them to be fair and they are evenly distributed across the state.
“We have no fewer than 10,000 corps members in this state but assuming that not all of them will be interested in taking part in the election, we have 8,000 available for this purpose.
“I have supplied INEC with the data of the available corps members in the state and where they are not enough, we shall mobilse from neighbouring states,” he said.
Olawale also said the NYSC was working with security agencies to ensure the security of all corps members.
He said the corps would soon embark on a tour of the state to sensitise corps members on their expected role in the election as well as allay their fears over their safety.
“Very soon, we shall commence sensitisation visits to my members to ensure that they all participate and allay their fears too because when they do their work well there is nothing to be afraid of.
“With regards to the security of my members, we have a strong inter-agency collaboration with the police and other security agencies.
“They have assured us that there would be full mobilisation of security personnel to ensure that NYSC members taking part in the election are safe.
“Moreover, Anambra is not known for election violence, they prefer to sort out their issues in the law courts rather than resorting to violence.
“I want to use this medium to call on my corps members to conduct themselves in accordance with the manner and rules set by INEC; they should be fair and just to all political parties,” he said
