The Apex Igbo sociocultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared that the seven Igbo-speaking states will not take part in the proposed nationwide protest scheduled for June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
In a statement obtained by The Guardian on Sunday in Abakaliki, the National Deputy President of the Ohanaeze faction, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said the decision followed wide consultations and is intended to protect Igbo lives and properties, which he said are often targeted during national unrest.
“This decision is not a withdrawal from civic responsibility, but rather a strategic response aimed at safeguarding Igbo lives and properties across Nigeria, particularly within the Southeast region,” Isiguzoro said.
The announcement comes amid ongoing preparations by civil society groups and activists to mark June 12 with protests over governance failures and growing hardship in the country. Democracy Day, which commemorates the annulled 1993 presidential election widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, has in recent years become a focal point for dissent against successive governments.
Isiguzoro explained that while peaceful assembly remains a right, the history of such protests shows a pattern of violence, especially against the Igbo, whose assets and businesses have repeatedly been vandalised or looted during periods of national tension.
“Our historical involvement in national protests has left us with bitter memories marred by betrayal and violence,” he said. “Over the last 65 years since Nigeria’s independence, evidence has shown that during previous protests against government actions, Igbos have been unjustly demonized and treated as scapegoats, resulting in tragic consequences.”
He said that unless the Nigerian government makes deliberate efforts to address longstanding Igbo grievances, there would be no further participation from the region in national mobilisations.
“We proclaim that the Igbo people will refrain from participating in these protests, and assert that no gatherings will be permitted across the seven Igbo-speaking states until the fundamental issues concerning the Igbo are addressed adequately by the Nigerian government.”
Among the group’s key demands is the “immediate release of all Igbo prisoners of conscience unjustly detained in various prisons,” Isiguzoro said, with specific reference to the continued incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He accused the federal government of practising selective justice, saying, “The federal government has demonstrated selective justice by dismissing felony charges against certain individuals while our own brothers remain imprisoned without just cause. This double standard cannot continue.”
The group also warned President Bola Tinubu not to misread the Southeast’s absence from the protests as surrender or silence.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo feels compelled to convey a sobering truth to Mr. President not to misinterpret our non-involvement in national protests as a sign of weakness. We recognize the precarious state of democracy in Nigeria, and while June 12 serves as a reminder of our collective struggle for democratic governance, the Igbo remain resolute in the face of adversity.”
