2023: South East traditional rulers urge residents to ‘ignore sit-at-home orders and vote massively’

South-East Council of Traditional Rulers has urged all subjects and residents alike in the region to ignore any sit-at-home order from any group and massively go out to vote for their preferred candidates.

A communiqué confirming the call and issued, Friday at the end of the first 2023 Executive Committee Meeting of the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers (SECTR) which took place at the Old Eastern Nigeria House of Chiefs, Enugu, urged residents to ‘go out en masse to vote for their preferred candidates during the elections and to ignore any order for sit-at-home.’

It would be recalled that, last Thursday, activist of the pro-secession group in the South East of the country, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPBB), Mr Simon Ekpa, had labelled as fake, a viral letter from the office of the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Mirella Marin, threatening to arrest him over his calls for a sit-at-home in the South East region throughout the 2023 General Elections period.

Ekpa who is a legal practitioner based in Finland was reportedly told in the letter by the Finnish PM to reverse his sit-at-home order in the South East in 48 hours.

Ekpa has been in control of the Radio Biafra Media outfit of the pro-secession movement and has been at loggerheads with the mainstream IPOB group which had continued to counter him for going against the directives of the group’s founder and leader, Nnamdi Kanu, presently in the court-ordered custody of the Department of the State Security (DSS) in Abuja facing trial for terrorism-related offences brought on by the Nigerian government.

Ekpa’s IPOB had also drawn the ire of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-political group, for activities said to be inimical to the welfare of the South East.

Last month, Ohanaeze Ndigbo tackled IPOB’s sit-at-home order insisting the South-East people’s determination to take part in the elections is overwhelming enough to wade off any distraction.

The communiqué by the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers also disclosed that the meeting deliberated on the role of traditional institution in ensuring peace and security in South-East, particularly in the run up to the General Elections and took a number of decisions.

“First, the Royal Fathers called on the people of the South-East to go out en masse to vote for their preferred candidates during the elections and to ignore any order for sit-at-home.

“Second, the Council appealed to the security agencies to create a conducive and safe environment for the General Elections; while calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to act professionally and patriotically.

“Third, the killings and destruction of property in South Eastern Region and across the country are condemned in strong terms by the Council.

“Fourth, the Council called on all Traditional Rulers to take control of their various domains during the upcoming elections for peaceful, free and credible elections to take place,” it said.

The communiqué was signed by Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, Chairman, South-East Council of Traditional Rulers and Chairman of Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers as well as Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha and Chairman of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers.

It was also signed by Eze Joseph Nwabeke, the Ezeamara of Eziama Ntigha, and Chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers.

The meeting was attended by Royal Fathers and other members of the Executive Committee of the Council.

Last month, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo insisted that the 2023 General Elections will hold in the South-East despite repeated threats by Ekpa’s IPOB to stop it.

The group maintained that the South-East people’s determination to take part in the elections is overwhelming enough to wade off any distraction.

Spokesman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, said IPOB had not claimed responsibility of any attack since its establishment, stressing that the security challenges within the region will not deter the people from participating in the February and March poll.

“IPOB will not and they cannot stop this election from holding. There have been instances in the past like the second tenure of Governor (Willie) Obiano, the IPOB said there won’t be any election and a lot of us at the Igbo level, we intervened and election was held.

“Even in Anambra State, they said there won’t be an election, but the elders of Igboland intervened and an election was held.

“It is possible that they may have made some remarks regarding that, but it is heart-warming that there would always be an intervention. People are free with their comments but ultimately elections must be held,” Ogbonnia said.

The Finland Prime Minister’s letter read: “Mr. Simon Ekpa, Following complaints by Nigerians in Finland and the Nigerian Government about your various pronouncements, using social media outlets, to impose sit-at-homes in Nigeria, you are hereby warned to desist from such nefarious activities which are capable of disturbing the peace and causing bloodshed.

“More worrying to the Finnish Government is your imposition of sit-at-homes on days slated for democratic elections in Nigeria. This is an act of international terrorism.

“You are hereby directed to call off your planned sit-at-homes by pronouncing through the same media outlets, you used for your illegal pronouncements, a reversal of your sit-at-home orders.

“Mr. Simon Ikpa, you have 48 hours to reverse course or you will be arrested and charged with international terrorism.

“I have directed my Attorney General, Raija Toiviainen, to ensure that my directive is immediately carried out,” read the letter, signed by the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Mirella Marin, Wednesday.

It would also be recalled that the Federal Government, through the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, last Wednesday, that Ekpa’s action was becoming a threat to the forthcoming elections, and that it would not take it lightly with him and the Finland government if nothing drastic was not done.

However, reacting to the purported letter  in a series of tweets posted via his verified Twitter handle (@simon_ekpa), Thursday, Ekpa described as ‘fake’ the statement credited to the Finnish leader, as he accused ‘desperate Nigerian criminals’ of being behind the document.

“My attention has been drawn to the fake letter being shared by desperate Nig criminals. Please disregard it, Nig is known for forgery, scam, internet fraud, crimes & that’s why we are fighting to exit such evil foundation, a country that its citizens make living through forgery.

“This is example of it they are now desperately forging Finnish government letters to blackmail Simon Ekpa & this is coming from some of the criminals propagating @PeterObi campaign.

“People are calling me because of this fake letter which I have already addressed. If you call me because of this, I will block you because it shows you are not following what I am doing.

“I challenge any one Nigerianist in Finland to share that letter on his or her page. I want to check something. If you are in Finland and part of the Igbo nonsense, share that letter on your social media page please.

“Tell your one Nigeria relatives in Finland to share it on his or her page please,” the activist said.