Chekwas Okorie unveils new political strategy for Igbo ahead of 2027

Описание: Chekwas Okorie and some other Igbo leaders.  Chief Chekwas Okorie, Convener and National Chairman of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue, on Wednesday, unveiled a renewed political mobilisation strategy for Ndigbo ahead of the 2027 general election.  Addressing a press conference in Enugu, Okorie said the end of the 1970 war did not translate into genuine reconciliation, insisting that the Federal Government quickly abandoned its “No Victor, No Vanquished” posture.  “The scars of that unfortunate war still fester today because the policies meant to heal the wounds were deliberately reversed,” Okorie said. “Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation were proclaimed, but they were largely ignored.”  He accused successive governments of sustaining the marginalisation of the Southeast through the neglect of eastern seaports, poor federal infrastructure and the exclusion of qualified Igbo professionals from key national appointments.  “Our legitimate cries against marginalisation attracted ridicule instead of empathy,” he said. “The result has been decades of frustration for our people.”  Okorie said prolonged exclusion had driven some Igbo youths to embrace separatist agitation, leading to instability, economic disruption and avoidable loss of lives in the Southeast and South-South regions.  “Rather than engage our youths constructively, the federal government chose to deploy soldiers with the most coercive weapons,” he said. “That approach only escalated tensions.”  He announced that the IAD, inaugurated in August 2025, was created to reset Igbo political engagement within Nigeria’s constitutional framework.  “We have resolved that never again will the votes of the Igbo be taken for granted and without conditions,” Okorie declared. “The Igbo Agenda Dialogue is non-partisan, pro-democracy and committed to collective action—one for all, all for one.”  As part of its immediate plans, Okorie disclosed that the IAD would host the first Igbo Political Summit in 56 years, scheduled for April 2026 in Enugu, where an Igbo Political Charter would be unveiled.  “This will be the first Igbo political charter since the historic Ahiara Declaration,” he said.  Condemning voter apathy, Okorie cited INEC figures showing that only 2.2 million of over 11.5 million registered voters in the Southeast participated in the 2023 presidential election.  “That is self-inflicted surrender,” he said. “The voter’s card is far more powerful than brandishing weapons.”  He said the IAD is targeting at least 20 million registered voters in the Southeast and 15 million Igbo voters outside the region before 2027.  “With a voting force of about 35 million, our relevance and respect will be restored—without firing a shot,” Okorie said.  He also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu and other “prisoners of conscience,” describing it as “a symbolic and healing gesture of reconciliation to the Igbo people.”