Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Sunday condemned in the strongest terms the political violence visited on Nigerians of Ndigbo extraction in Lagos State during the Presidential and National Assembly elections that took place on Saturday.
The group made this condemnation in a release by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, saying it frown seriously at the failure of the security agencies to give adequate cover to Ndigbo in the affected communities as thugs went berserk to disrupt the peace that was ongoing in the areas on the alleged instructions of their political godfathers.
According to Afenifere, in the release, scrupulous political merchants and band of thugs had from denying the Ndigbo their voting right also went ahead to unleash violence on them, with findings showing that the political vandals they used were not genuine members of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) as they claimed.
“Afenifere condemns in the strongest terms the political violence visited on Nigerians of Ndigbo extraction in Lagos during the Saturday Presidential elections.
“Dirty political merchants and their band of thugs apart from engineering political disenfranchisement of Ndigbo, went ahead to visit violence on them and burning their votes en masse.
“We frown seriously at the failure of the security agencies to give adequate cover to Ndigbo in the affected communities as these thugs went berserk carrying out the instructions of their sinking political godfathers.
“The political vandals they used were said to have been calling themselves OPC but our checks with the genuine leaders of the group have shown that the deranged elements had no affiliation with the OPC known by Afenifere,” Afenifere said.
The group, however, assured the Igbo brothers and sisters in Lagos that the bond of friendship it had built with the Ohanaeze Ndigbo particularly under the dynamic leadership of Chief John Nwodo remained strong and would not be broken by the nefarious activities of a few strange elements.
While appealing for calm, Afenifere disclosed it was in already in discussions with Ndigbo leadership on the matter, even as it called on the security agencies to give adequate security covers to Ndigbo in subsequent elections.
The group, the also encouraging them not to succumb to intimidation and harassment by political vampires, assured that the historical connectivity between the Yoruba and Ndigbo would survive what it termed the Saturday madness and the perpetrators would be shamed eternally.
“We want to assure our Igbo Brothers and Sisters that the bond of friendship the Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have built particularly under the dynamic leadership of Chief John Nwodo remains strong and will not be broken by the nefarious activities of a few strange children in our midst.
“We are already in discussions with Ndigbo leadership on the matter and we appeal for calm as these political vandals are only engaged in death kicks.
“We call on the security agencies to give adequate security covers to Ndigbo in subsequent elections as we encourage them not to succumb to intimidation and harassment by political vampires,” Afenifere said.
“Our historical connectivity with Ndigbo will survive the Saturday madness and the perpetrators will be shamed eternally,” it assured.