Titus Eleweke, Editor, South East Sept 02, 2026
AWKA — Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has warned residents of the South-East against boycotting future elections, describing such directives as destructive to the geopolitical zone’s socio-economic and political interests.
In an official statement released on Wednesday titled “Ala-Igbo at a Crossroads: Jettisoning Electoral Boycott Before It Becomes Another Tragedy,” Ejiofor called on Ndigbo to reject directives urging voter abstinence, warning that political disengagement weakens the region’s influence within Nigeria’s democratic framework.
”Any directive advocating an electoral boycott, under whatever guise or euphemism, must be unequivocally rejected,” Ejiofor stated. “We have witnessed, at great cost, what happens when political grievances are converted into rigid commands and when ordinary people are compelled to pay the ultimate price.”
Ejiofor, who holds the traditional title of Dunu-Ezeugosinachi, urged the people of the South-East to utilize legal, democratic, and judicial channels to address grievances rather than abandoning the ballot box.
”What greater irony could there be than to surrender our political voice in the name of defending our people, only to discover that the silence created by such surrender has become the very instrument through which our collective interests are diminished?” he noted.
He cautioned against political strategies that compromise local commerce, safety, and institutional development, adding that patriotism should strengthen the region rather than destabilize its economic foundation.
”Ala-Igbo is no longer available for experimentation with destructive political theories,” Ejiofor added. “A people do not preserve their homeland by rendering it ungovernable; they preserve it by protecting its peace, strengthening its institutions, and relentlessly pursuing justice through every legitimate avenue available.”
