From Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Following the avowed commitment by the Izhi Nation in Lagos State to ensure the irresistible victory of their preferred candidates for the 2023 general elections in Ebonyi State, the people have begun to carry out a one million vote movement, thereby introducing a compulsory Permanent Voter Card (PVC) for any member of the clan at voting age against the forthcoming polls.
The Izhi people in Lagos State under the auspices of the Association of Izhi-Nnodo Clan of Nigeria (AICON) have also declared ‘Operation Show Your PVC’ to bring their members home to participate fully in the 2023 general elections.
The group who had declared their support to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi, noted that the party's Gubernatorial Candidate in the recently concluded primaries, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and other governorship candidates of the Izhi clan from other political parties, would enjoy their massive backing.
The group stated this Tuesday at Nkaleke, the Abakaliki Council Headquarters, where they converged to kick off the movement.
Receiving the team, the Executive Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, of the State, Chief Emmanuel Nwangele commended the leadership of AICON for the grand drive and pointed out that the people are free to locate their council area to register for the card.
Emeka Uguru, the Special Assistant who represented the chairman hinted that voter card registration is everybody’s business, describing it as the only means the people would elect their rightful leader in the forthcoming elections.
Also speaking, the traditional ruler representing Abakaliki LGA, His Royal Highness, Eze Simeon Azi Ewa, thanked God for the journey of mercy and said the movement became essential to give every Izhi son and daughter in Lagos state the right to partake and vote for who would represent them at all categories of the government.
Eze Azi Ewa noted that the voyage to various Council Areas for thee registration would begin the next day (Wednesday) to their destinations and seek the alliance of stakeholders and staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to speed up the process to enable them to return to their business areas.
Also, the traditional ruler representing Ebonyi local government area, His Royal Highness, Eze Augustine Osondu Nwego(Ezeoha 1) stated that the exercise which is aimed to give every son of the land equal rights of unity challenged the GED Izhi people at home to forge ahead in supporting whoever that emerged as a gubernatorial candidate in the state.
Chief Nwego appealed to Ebonyians especially Izhi speaking people who are in the diaspora to emulate the gesture by bringing their members home to register and also participate in voting massively during the election.
“I am calling on our people at home to show the same preparedness as we in Lagos have exhibited, even our people in Port Harcourt, Bayelsa, Cross River, Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Delta and various other parts of the country should copy from what Association of Izhi-Nnodo Clan in Lagos did for that’s the secret Hausa people are using to rule this country by forming formidable force where they will massively bring their people home using free transportation during registration and voting.
“Our political leaders who are aggressive over the things of the past should forgive and form alliances to save our land from developmental backwardness by deciding who will rule us in every position of the government in the upcoming election.
“We are calling on stakeholders from various parts of the state to support us for the speculation of Izhi man ceasing property of non-indigenes in their land is work of enemies who are battling to destroy our natural character but they will fail as the spirit of hospitality of our people had no political colouration.
“We are accommodative and remain so, and we are begging our brothers who are living in other Council Areas to support us just the same way His Excellency the Governor, Engr David Umahi had graciously supported us and we’re grateful," he said.
Earlier, the National President of the Association of Izhi-Nnodo Clan of Nigeria, Chief Edwin Ebili, lauded the three traditional rulers of the people in Lagos state for their support in achieving the lofty dream of bringing the people home in preparedness to participate in installing their leaders.
He added that role of AICON to ensure peaceful and massive participation in the voting exercise cannot be overemphasized as the union would leave no stone unturned to sensitize those in the hinterland to queue behind the initiative.
He called on Izhi stakeholders to eschew self-interest and unite in the common goal by employing their popularity to attract support for the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
He equally enjoined the stakeholders not to relent in advancing the registration of permanent voter cards by all and sundry to give the governorship candidate a landslide vote in the general election.
On their part, Comrade Nwego Clement Nwiziogo, former vice president of Development Association of Ebonyi state, Lagos branch and Mr Boniface Okpete described the successful arrival of members as God’s divine way to prove that ambition of Izhi man to govern Ebonyi state is sacrosanct.
They dismissed the common saying that ‘Izhi people are foolish majority’, noting that days are gone when the people whose major occupation is farming would accept to be shortchanged in the electioneering exercise.
“Our successful arrival from Lagos state to Ebonyi on the ‘Operation Show Your PVC’ had proven that God is behind our people to emerge as Governor of the state come 2023.
“It was a hard decision pulling our successful businessmen and women who have no voter card home to register as to enable them to participate in the upcoming general election in a way to prove those who refer us as foolish majority wrong.
“Izhi man majors in farming and find it difficult to relinquish his time for government activities which are among Participating in the electoral process and that has given us a bad name as ‘foolish majority’, as such, we have come to reclaim our lost glory by bringing our people in Lagos state home to obtain their PVC and those who have already to transfer same as to vote our Izhi son as Governor of Ebonyi state come 2023.
“Our power to decide who is to govern us the Izhi People is our Voter Card and we have laboured a lot with support to other zones as Governor of the state now is our turn which the present government led by Engr David Umahi had wisely made it easier for us and left for us to do our part by supporting whoever government-supported to lead us.
“We’ll continue to bring our people home until every Izhi man and woman living in Lagos registers and also bring them to vote and we’re challenging our members to ensure everyone around them also registered, hence, begging our people at home including our youth and elders to go obtain their Permanent Voter Card as to vote Izhi man as the next governor of the state in the next election”.
However, in his goodwill message, Barr. Simeon Nwuguru thanked the leaders of AICON for the wonderful reception and pledged continuous support for the interest of the clan.
