The 2023 Labour Party senatorial candidate for Imo west district for the national assembly elections, Charles Ahize has maintained that those enforcing the sit-at-home orders in the southeast zone are enemies of the struggle for self-determination.
The Imo party chieftain also frowned at the latest criminal violent attacks in Urualla and Obodoukwu local communities in Ideato local government area in Imo State.
Ahize was speaking on Tuesday at his Ideato country home, against the backdrop of the recent attacks on the lives and properties of innocent citizens.
He insisted that those issuing the order and those enforcing it, are not carrying out the orders for good of the people of the southeast region, warning that they are serving the interest of their paymasters who he described as the enemies of Ala-Igbo whose aim is to profit from instability and insecurity in the southeast region.
While frowning at the latest attacks and activities of the elements in Ideato, Ahize raised an alarm that the mercenaries are contracted to destabilize the southeast zone of Igbo ethnic extraction and endanger the political chances of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi in next year’s general elections in Nigeria.
The National Assembly hopeful said, “the undisputed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has many times said through his lawyers and other approved spokespersons of his organization that he is not in support of any sit-at-home order.
”It is not impossible that those sponsoring these attacks want to systemically disenfranchise the southeast but we must not let them succeed in this game”, he added.
The LP standard-bearer continued: “Ndigbo are mostly traders and anyone who tries to stop the Igbo man from opening his shop or selling his goods is the greatest saboteur of Igbo emancipation. There cannot be social justice without economic freedom and there cannot be economic freedom while our communities are shut down and businesses are made to shutter by agents of retrogression.
“We must not allow anyone to deceive us. We want justice and we want to progress but we cannot support criminality of any sort,” Ahize advised.
Ahize further urged them to make use of their permanent voter cards (PVC) and elect credible candidates and also charged them not to succumb to the antics of the never-to-do-wells posing as candidates, describing them as stooges that lack leadership visions.
His words: “I urge you to go get your PVC. Get your PVC and vote for the right candidates. They are trying to frighten you from voting, so that they can continue installing their stooges in different offices, to underdevelop the southeast. Do not allow them to succeed. Go out there and collect your voter cards and make sure you vote right”.
