The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has said that going by what happened in Ekiti State last Saturday, the opposition party would lose the 2019 general elections.
The pro-Biafra group said that the governorship poll was characterized by “charade.”
According to IPOB, the coalition of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and all other opposition parties cannot defeat President Muhammadu Buhari because he would be aided by the military, police and all paramilitary agencies as allegedly witnessed in Ekiti State.
The Biafran group, therefore suggested a total boycott of the forthcoming general elections by the South-South, South-East, South-West and the Middle Belt geo-political regions.
IPOB’s position was contained in a statement signed by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Comrade Emma Powerful and made available to reporters in Enugu yesterday.
The statement was entitled, “Ekiti State election; another vindication of IPOB no election stance.”
It reads, “Those unfortunate enough to have witnessed the disgraceful charade that passed as Ekiti State governorship election over the weekend, would no doubt, by now, have come to the full realisation that only a total and complete boycott of elections in Nigeria has the remotest chance of setting the poor masses free.
“For anybody to describe the electoral dance of shame at Ekiti as “free and fair elections” means that Nigeria is yet to develop an appreciable sense of understanding of what democratic elections is meant to be.
“This singular event at Ekiti has proven IPOB right yet again, that voting in Nigeria within the present political arrangement is utterly useless and counter productive.
“Under the current electoral conditions in Nigeria, a PVC has transmuted from a supposedly potent object of freedom to one of bondage. IPOB worldwide therefore wish to restate categorically and for purposes of clarity that it would boycott all elections in Nigeria come 2019.
“Presidential elections next year will afford IPOB an opportunity to demonstrate our cast iron determination to set Biafra free by totally shutting down South East and South South.
“By going out to vote, instead of demanding their freedom, the masses are only helping tyrants to legalize rigging and electoral fraud. What people are doing by voting is willingly and legally renewing their pain and suffering every 4 years.
“All the institutions which should act as electoral watch-dogs and umpires (including all the security forces) are under the control of the tyrants.
“South East, South-South and Middle-Belt would be foolhardy to agree to participate in the 2019 elections under such conditions”.