The South-East socio-cultural group in Lagos State, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has decried the alleged continued disenfranchisement of Igbo residing in the state during local government elections.
President of the group, Dr. Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, raised the alarm yesterday, while speaking to journalists at his Ikoyi residence about the ongoing local government polls.
According to him, the trend of denying Igbo their right to vote and be voted for had become a recurring problem in every election cycle in Lagos State.
Aguene noted that despite the significant contributions of the Igbo community to the economic and political development of the state, they were still not given fair representation in the political process.
He said: “Do you know that the Igbo that are resident in Lagos state are denied the opportunity to vote? This is not just happening in this election; it occurs during every cycle of election.
“Igbo residents in the state are not given the opportunity to contest for local Government Chairmanship and councillorship positions. Despite our contribution to the economic and political growth of the state, we are being treated unfairly. There are one or two Igbo persons as vice-chairmen of Local Governments.
“It is therefore safe to conclude that we don’t have democracy in Nigeria, because democracy promotes equity, justice and fairness. What we have is opportunists grabbing power and ruling. There is voter apathy in Lagos and Nigeria because Nigerians are tired of voting for opportunists.
“Igbos are the ones investing heavily in Lagos. They are supposed to be given the opportunity to hold some positions in the state.
“Governance in Nigeria is just for the few as many Nigerians are really suffering. The working class including journalists and security officers whose professions are essential cannot even work and shelter for their families. The situation in Nigeria is terrible”.
