The Apex Igbo Socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the South East Women Network (SEWNET) have urged people of the zone to ignore sit-at-home order to buycot the forthcoming general elections.
The groups made the call on Tuesday when the SEWNET paid a courtesy visit to Dr Alex Ogbonnia, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, National Publicity Secretary, at Ohaneze Secretariat in Enugu.
They said they were worried by the proposed sit-at-home order by one Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed disciple of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who live in Finland and discouraging people from voting on election days.
They noted that elections must hold in the zone as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to her, the curfew will mean that no vehicle will ply in any of the highways within the southeast and no election will hold.
“In other words, we will be denied voting right for no reason and I don’t see how somebody who is not residing in Enugu or Nigeria will sit at his comfort and give such illegal order,” she said.
She noted that Ekpa had been enslaving and holding people of the region to ransom, urging the Ohaneze to do everything possible to ensure that people exercised their civic responsibilities.
Agujiobi said the attitude exhibited by Ekpa put the lives of the people of the southeast in danger and perpetual fear.
“In the last order, a pregnant woman and young man were killed in Enugu and given such order during election will put fear in people.
“As women, we want to know what the Ohaneze, governors and other political stakeholders in the zone are doing to salvage the situation.
“Are they not touched by the humiliation the young man is causing the people of the southeast; one day, monkey will give order that people will not wear cloth in the region and they will obey.
She stressed that if Igbos did not participate in the general election, it would still hold and someone would emerge winner to their own disadvantage.
While calling the people to disregard the sit-at-home order, Agujiobi said, “Is there no way Ekpa can be contacted so that Southeast women can plead with him to leave us alone?”
She regretted that Monday’s sit at home was more serious in Enugu while it was not working in other southeast states, and urged the state government to do something about it.
