South-East to Hit 20 Million Voters Through Igbo Agenda Dialogue — Okorie

To bring together, engage, and mobilize Igbo stakeholders throughout Nigeria and the diaspora toward a common political agenda, the Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD) was established as a nonpartisan, pan-Igbo platform. In order to create a more robust and united political future for the Igbo Nation, the Igbo Agenda Dialogue brings together leaders from various political parties, town unions, market and professional associations, youth and women’s organizations, diaspora organizations, and esteemed individuals.

In light of the recent events in Anambra State, where Governor Charles Soludo closed the Onitsha Main Market for a week, resulting in a relative calm, how does the Igbo Agenda Dialogue contribute to the development of peace, political consciousness, and engagement throughout the South East?

The failure to engage the people in a meaningful way is at the root of the problem. Furthermore, they don’t appear to know how to deal with it. In order to assist reach out to these young men and women and see if there are any other ways to ensure peace via discussion, the question is: How can we get in touch with really important people? For instance, I don’t say things that I don’t do myself. I founded the Igbo Agenda Dialogue primarily to address such circumstances, and it is rapidly expanding. It was something we only started last year. The main goal of our efforts is to inform our young men and women about the ways in which they can reclaim their place in Nigeria by taking part in the country’s democratic process. We want to change the political landscape of Nigeria in opposition to those who wish to undermine us. We lack the tools necessary to use force. In order to secure the full involvement of the Ndigbo people and their proper place in Nigerian politics, we are use outreach, town hall meetings, and persuasion and interface to engage with market groups and traditional institutions.

In advance of the election next year and any future elections, is Igbo Agenda Dialogue associated with or endorsing any political party?

The organization is social, political, pro-democracy, and nonpartisan. A nonpartisan, social, political, and pro-democracy organization, I reiterate. Therefore, no party owns it. The All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently canvassing for votes, and a party will go out and invite people to come and register to vote for their people. This one focuses on the necessity of political participation for Igbo people. Before the 2023 election, for instance, you registered 11.5 million voters, and the results were made public throughout all of Nigeria’s zones. Approximately 9.3 million Igbo people did not even cast ballots during the election, as only two million of you cast ballots for each of the presidential candidates. We are also stating that we aim to reach 20 million people from the Southeast before the election ends. Therefore, regardless of which party receives the 20 million votes, the president ought to be chosen first because, as the Igbo say, you should secure the floor before looking for a place to set up your mat. Yes, Azobute, Azotala. That’s why we’re here. I am still here, and I have been for a long time. I handed the APGA to the Igbo people as their first political party. I founded a political party in Nigeria before any other Igbo man did. And the argument against using that party to run for president was because Chief Awolowo, Malam Aminu Kano, and Malam Waziri Ibrahim had all done so before me. Herbert Macaulay founded the NCNC, which Azikiwe belonged to. The NCNC was a division of the NNDP, which was established in 1923. As a result, almost 80 years later, I, an Igbo guy, was able to establish a political party in Nigeria for the first time.

What is the precise number of Igbo voters that the Igbo Agenda Dialogue hopes to reach?

First and foremost, we aim to get 20 million Southeast African voters registered in the official INEC records, and approximately 15 million Igbo voters enrolled in the remaining parts of Nigeria. This is attainable. The political parties now have the opportunity to determine how many of the current number of votes they can win if we have this block. The ordinary Igbo man is logical, based on my experience, thus we are not here to tell anyone to vote for this or that. And once he’s made up his mind to cast his ballot, he doesn’t need convincing to know who to support. 1.9 million of the 2.2 million voters who cast ballots in 2023 supported Peter Obi, accounting for 89.6% of the total. That % score, however, is fantastic on an exam. The grade is an A. Politically speaking, however, it is a poor pass because it falls short of one-third of the more than six million votes that the Igbo people cast for Jonathan in 2011.

What is Igbo Agenda Dialogue doing with this admirable concept to combat South East voters’ lack of interest in voting? This is due to the fact that many Nigerians, especially those from the South East, think their votes don’t always matter in elections, which causes them to abstain from voting.

Our aim is to achieve that. We have also spoken with police leadership to avoid any misunderstandings, so no one goes to say that we are organizing the populace for subversion of any kind. We have not yet met with the National Security Adviser, or DSS. Igbo Agender Dialogue has been registered in the United States, however, while we are meeting our people. I was astounded by how quickly our folks overseas were embracing it. This organization does not accept individual members; rather, it connects to all known groups and unions worldwide since Igbo people are linked by a large network of associations and unions. Accordingly, the Igbo Gender Dialogue resembles a grid. It resembles a political grid similar to Nigeria’s electricity grid, which hosts all of these associations and communicates with them in real time. We also receive comments in real time for action. We now have a presence on at least six social media networks. In response, the Inspector General of Police extended an invitation to us. All of our governors, including Soludo, have received letters from us outlining our plans and requesting their cooperation in order to improve peace in our region and inspire our inhabitants to take pride in their citizenship and help reclaim their own area.

Regarding the insecurity problem in Anambra and other South East regions, how do you believe the Igbo Agender Dialogue can help to allay anxieties and give traders the confidence they need to resume conducting business on Mondays like other days? Will a conversation of some sort be held with those who are reiterating the traders’ and others’ fears?

It has only just begun through our efforts. Our people will engage with them and end this on their own. By connecting with them. by explaining to them the harm their actions are causing to the Igbo land economy. they aren’t assisting us. See how our people, including my modest self, have responded to the Nnamdi Kanu crisis. Igbo people should react in this manner when their own son is mistreated because they carried their cross. I know, of course, that Nnamdi Kanu was not involved in this sit-at-home activity, so I’m turning back now. It is intolerable for a gang to now turn around and claim that the hardship they are forcing on their people is due to Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment. However, you cannot coerce someone into arguing with you by using force, which is why I felt Soludo’s strategy was inadequate. I know this because I’ve been here for a while. The appointment of Nnamdi Kanu as the chairman of the APGA in the UK in 2002 was accepted by me. We are discussing a period of 24 years ago. All of the individuals who initiated IPOB in Europe were diasporic members of the APGA, but their disillusionment with the political system was caused by the APGA’s failure. Had the APGA crisis not occurred, IPOB most likely would not have taken place today. Ironically, it is the same answer that has saved APGA’s soul, and it is now being used for the reason we established it. To accomplish the same goal that APGA was unable to accomplish, we are now turning to a nonpartisan strategy, which is much more successful. Since everyone who has gained 24 years of age is no longer a child, if we know people who were upset at the time, it implies that we can too. They have also grown older. Therefore, we can still contact them tomorrow if we knew them back then and we still know them now. Fortunately, they are aware of this past. Why not interact with those you have gained their trust? Will Gumi and the other man, the other professor in Katsina, realize that there are things we can do without betraying our people and putting them in needless danger if I start acting like them?

Even if the South East’s markets appear to be operating normally right now, do you believe that the federal government or the governors of the area should step in and provide sufficient protection in the markets to provide merchants even more peace of mind? The reason for this is that it isn’t about interacting with traders. They return to the market after you engage them, and their lives might still be in danger.

As I have stated, the traders are only victims. They are not the reason. Deal with the cause of that insecurity. It is some individuals who carry the AK-47. They’re well known. They are unknown, but who stated that? They’re well known. Who knew that America had been able to see from their planes where the insurgents were staying in Nigeria? In Sokoto State, I recall that once they arrived and killed some of them in a single strike, they launched fighter jets into the air to declare that they had reclaimed the Sambisa Forest, which they had been unable to do so for about 15 years. One man was all that was needed to say, “We know where these people are.” You cannot claim that we are unaware of those controversial Igbo lands. I do not possess the intelligence facilities and capabilities that our governors do. Thus, they are familiar with them. These are primarily not herders, and they are not Fulanis. Our sons and daughters are these.

Do you think Nigerian troops and other security personnel should be brought in further to guarantee that normalcy returns to the area, even though there is a relative calm?

Bringing in Nigerian troops and other Federal Government security forces, we have witnessed their past and present devastation. They are the ones who have made matters worse by erecting toll gates all over the place and demanding money from our citizens. When these individuals attack a single station or barrier, the military will perceive an opportunity to virtually clear a whole hamlet. Therefore, Nigerian security forces ought to confront the war that threatens Nigeria in the north. One feature is the local security systems for which the Igbo people are renowned. Reaching out to these individuals in an effort to quiet their hostility and voice is another factor. You don’t put them in danger. You talk with them while you sit down. The reasons behind their actions will be explained to you. You can’t do anything about the criminals among them, though. Those who truly think of themselves as freedom warriors are among them. With regard to these, once you get them out, you will be able to identify crooks and deal with them. Dealing with such individuals is necessary because you avoid negotiating with someone who is already a criminal; instead, you can bargain with those who are fighting for their freedom, and you can identify them when you speak with them.

However, do you believe that the merchants in Anambra, for example, were correct to consistently close their stores? What do you believe to be their main concerns?

The governors had no right to intimidate the traders because they were harboring legitimate anxieties. In the past, the traders’ property and lives that should have been preserved have been lost in the Onitsha Main Market. When I talk about that market, I have to emphasize its standing throughout West Africa, which is that the problem is not just killing the people who have come there to conduct business. These enigmatic individuals have the ability to set one market stall on fire, causing damage worth trillions of Naira. This is because, if you visit the market and see what is there, you would realize that the Igbo people, not just Anambra, have their hearts there. A governor like Governor Soludo, who ought to be focusing on ways to boost domestic revenue—of which commercial activity is the main source—would not want to turn around and harm people and their businesses as though that were the only solution to the sit-at-home problem. No rational Igbo person would be content to stay at home and do nothing. The Igbo people are not lazy. Despite the fact that they dislike it, they are extending their weekend until Monday due to the threats. His crew was unable to resolve the issue when he assembled it. On the contrary, they made matters worse. There is no doubt that the traders are not staying at home because of Nnamdi Kanu; rather, they are doing so for their own protection because they are always in danger and have no one to defend them from those illegals. That was well known. Their noncompliance is not due to their desire to close their firm. The fact that people will shut down their businesses on Sundays is already enough suffering. They do so because, as Christians, we primarily celebrate Sunday as a day for worshiping God, but some people also utilize it to relax and get ready for Monday. As of Monday, they are compelled to live their daily lives at home. The government’s primary duty, as stated in the Nigerian Constitution, is to ensure the safety and security of the populace; nevertheless, they now accuse the victims of their wars. I’m hoping they’ll finally get involved and make sure this problem is put to rest.