Ohanaeze set to boycott 2019 polls over registration of under- aged voters in North

www.odogwublog.com reports that the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio- cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has threatened to boycott the 2019 polls if the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), does not as a matter of urgency, stop the on- going registration of under- aged voters in Northern states.

Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) also called for the immediate review of registered voters in all the 19 Northern states following " video clips and documentary evidence as shown in the just- concluded Kano council election that under aged voters constitute majority of the registered voters in the North".

National President of OYC, Okechukwu Isiguzoro who spoke with our correspondent yesterday in Umuahia, accused INEC of colluding with the North to manipulate the outcome of the 2019 presidential poll in favour of the region.

He said that it beats the imagination that whereas North West geopolitical zone already has over 18 million registered voters, South East and South South zones put together have barely 15 million registered voters according to INEC records.

Isiguzoro alleged that over 65% of the registered voters in the North is under- aged voters , and called for the immediate review of the register , else South East , and South South would stay away from the 2019 elections.

The OYC helmsman further argued that INEC could not continue to pretend that it was unaware of the on- going registration of under- aged voters in the North nor give any justifiable excuse for its docility.

He said that the recent boasting  by a serving Northern  Governor that Kano alone would deliver five million votes to President Muhammadu Buhari should he decide to seek re- election, was only a confirmation that the region was banking on the army of under- aged voters  registered by INEC.

" INEC should not take our patience for granted. If it fails to review the voters register in the North to verify the real age of registered voters in the region we will not participate in the 2019 elections.

"INEC should not cause political tension in the country. It must stop this madness now. Nobody owns Nigeria more than anybody. It belongs to us all. They should not be registering under aged voters in the North and deny registration for eligible voters  in the South.

" Ebonyi State Governor has been complaining that people of the state who are 21 years are being turned back by INEC officials while children under 7years are given mass registration in the North. We can't tolerate this manipulation anymore."

Isiguzoro called on the National Assembly to wade into the matter to save Nigeria's wobbling democracy.

He also appealed to the international community particularly the US, and the European Union to prevail on the Federal Government and INEC to avoid derailing Nigeria's democracy.

The OYC President , however, challenged South East Governors , the political elite and other stakeholders to mobilise all eligible voters in the zone to obtain their Permanent Voter Card ahead of the polls.