The Enugu State Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed why the planned election boycott by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) can never attain success.
Addressing journalists in Enugu, Mr. Emeka Ononamadu, said INEC was less bothered by the strange development because it expected the political parties who are fielding candidates to mobilize their supporters to come out and troop to the polls.
Ononamadu added that even if only one person came out to vote, INEC would still declare a winner.
Ononamadu declared, “I don’t think that we have any challenge in Enugu.
“However, I will say that, no matter the agitation, elections are crucial to the government and people must come out to vote; somebody must be declared winner and INEC is there to do that.
“INEC has no business with calls for secession or boycott; our mandate is to conduct elections to fill certain positions.
“At the end of the day, Enugu must have a governor in 2019, whether it is just one person that manages to come out to vote.”
Many Nigerians expect IPOB to be successful in keeping away its members from the polls as IPOB has had previous success in similar endeavours.
Case in point the sit at home protest it embarked upon on May 30th which saw virtually all the schools, offices, and market places in the South East turn into a ghost town.
Remarking on the success of that order then, IPOB publicity secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful released this statement, “IPOB and its leadership worldwide congratulate Biafrans and all the IPOB family members worldwide both in Biafraland and Diaspora for their compliance to the sit- at- home order issued by our indefatigable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“Our supreme leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu issued this order of sit at home when he was still in Kuje Prison Abuja and it has come to pass as all the people of Biafra, both home and abroad, complied in totality, which had not been done in the history of Biafra struggle.
“Biafrans have proved to the entire world that they need freedom and the world must know that we are not going back in the quest for independence of Biafra. “The sit- at- home order was a success as all the markets, schools, banks, companies/industries, transport companies and businesses in Biafraland were in total compliance. May God Almighty bless you all.
“We, however, blame those saboteurs who were paid by the government to sabotage the restoration project because Biafrans and IPOB members worldwide obeyed our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We in IPOB must be strong and we promise everybody that Biafra is here.”