Ohanaeze therefore charged Nigerians to rise and demand that INEC extend the voters registration exercise till September 2022.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Igbo apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has alleged that there are politicians who are manipulating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration in the South-East region.
The group made the allegation in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, noting that INEC was under pressure to disenfranchise eligible Nigerians from participating in the 2023 general elections.
Ohanaeze therefore charged Nigerians to rise and demand that INEC extend the voters registration exercise till September 2022.
The group which stated that Nigerians should not vote into power “a sick and antiquated” president in 2023 with their PVCs, asked civic rights and religious organisations to bring together, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) to debate on issues of Nigeria’s Security, Economy, and Education, in order to help Nigerians make right choice in 2023.
The statement read, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide has called on Nigerians to be conscious of the ongoing manipulation of the electoral process by corrupt politicians to ensure that INEC will end the ongoing voter’s registration exercise in order to curtail the surge of Nigerians hurrying to collect their PVCs.
“This is the best time Nigerians should take advantage of the ongoing voters' registration exercise and get all eligible voters registered, and Nigerians must rise and demand from INEC to extend the enrollment of eligible voters till September 2022 as it appears that INEC is under pressure to disenfranchise the rights of Nigerians to participate in 2023 elections, there are undercover meetings to pressurized the INEC Chairman, to end the voter’s registration exercise by June 2022.
“There will be no democracy without Nigerians, the power to get the best leaders in 2023 will be in the hands of Nigerians, we should arise from our slumber and demand that INEC should extend the voter’s card registration to September 2022, starting from 12th June 2022, Nigerians should use peaceful mediums and constitutional ways to pressurize INEC to extend the time of the voter’s registration exercise till September 2022.
“Our message to Nigerians on 2022 Democracy Day, is to take back Nigeria from the hands of corrupt politicians; we must prove to them that the labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain, Atiku, Tinubu, and Obi should be summoned by youths, Civil Rights organisations and religious organisations for a debate on issues of Nigeria’s Security, Economy, and Education, Nigerians should end a sick and antiquated President from Aso Rock in 2023 with their PVCs.”