Lagos and the Igbo: The Threats of Pogroms at the Polls, by Ugoji Egbujo

In 2023, aft Obi defeated Tinubu successful Lagos, MC Oluomo addressed the state. He warned the Igbo to beryllium astatine location connected predetermination time if they wouldn’t ballot the APC. He wasn’t subtle. In that unrecorded broadcast, helium framed  non-APC votes arsenic a punishable betrayal. The constabulary invited him for questioning, but the “chat” was much photo-op than accountability. He was released aft a half-hearted apology that galore saw arsenic scripted.

A fewer days aboriginal astatine the polls, the Igbo were beaten achromatic and blue, chased distant from the polls. Many Igbo voters were hospitalized successful Eti-Osa, Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin, and beyond. Oluomo’s agents had performed their task. The constabulary did nothing. INEC said the predetermination was credible. Oluomo and his principals celebrated the triumph of hooliganism. MC Oluomo’s thoroughfare enforcers had turned words into wounds, and the deficiency of repercussions emboldened the playbook.

In aboriginal 2023, MC Oluomo was the authorities president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers. The NURTW controls each the agberos successful Lagos. That rank makes the national a affluent root of thugs. In precocious 2023, Oluomo handed the reins implicit to a antheral called Sego, 1 Alhaji Adekunle Mustapha. Sego, a seasoned enforcer with his ain past of clashes, inherited not conscionable the seat but the anticipation of loyalty to the APC machine.

Now Chairnan Sego has announced that travel 2027, the authorities would lone accommodate 1 party, the APC. He warned that cipher would beryllium allowed to ballot immoderate different party. Sego was explicit—anyone who decides to ballot against Tinubu and the APC volition beryllium killed. Sego has sent his connection to Tinubu’s opponents. Unlike MC Oluomo, his marque of hooliganism wont  instrumentality prisoners. That connection was chiefly for the Igbo successful Lagos. Sego said: “What happened successful 2023 volition beryllium child’s play… Anyone who refuses to ballot APC successful 2027, we’ll woody with them decisively.” He didn’t sanction the Igbo explicitly, but the discourse screams it: Lagos’ non-APC basal is disproportionately Igbo.

Sego and his puppet masters weren’t conscionable awakening aged demons.  They were employing the aged playbook. The 2023 publication is playing each implicit again. After Sego made the unsafe and transgression pronouncement, the DSS promptly invited him to grill him for ‘insulting immoderate groups’. But earlier the nationalist knew of the invitation, helium had been released. And pursuing the MC Oluomo choreography, Sego , wearing a DSS visitors tag connected his chest,  denied the bare threats helium had issued earlier cameras and tendered a dubious apology.

He said helium was misunderstood. The DSS did not fuss to comment. With the wounds of 2023 electoral unit caller successful their minds, the Igbo successful Lagos cognize that the Sego saga is conscionable beginning. Sego’s menace wasn’t specified thoroughfare talk. It wasnt the growl of a lone wolf . It’s a flare-up that’s reignited fears from 2023, particularly among the Igbo community. Sego has projected taste cleansing astatine the polls.

Sego mentioned Aregbesola, but he  did not request to notation Igbo by name. After the 2023 attacks, Onanuga, Tinubu’s spokesman, warned the Igbo that their rejection of Tinubu successful Lagos would not beryllium tolerated successful 2027. A fewer different Lagos accepted rulers person voiced their absorption to escaped and just elections successful Lagos, citing an effort by settlers to usurp and predominate their hosts done economical endeavor and escaped and just elections. Sego’s outburst truthful wasn’t a thoughtless pronouncement by an otimkpu. It was a declaration of intent by a governmental household utilizing a mouthpiece which, though potent, can’t beryllium subjected to scrupulous motivation scrutiny fixed his nonrecreational background.

So portion Sego is formidable and his threats mightiness beryllium much potent than MC Oluomo’s, Sego isn’t the problem. Though Sego has primed the hounds and they whitethorn permission much carnage successful 2027 than they did successful 2023, Sego is not the danger. The occupation is the seeming apathy of the president, the ‘eternal don’ of Lagos politics.  While the wounds of 2023 are inactive bleeding, the president’s lackeys are near escaped to  promote governmental hooliganism and instrumentality the embers of taste strife.

The unit against the Igbo was ne'er addressed. The hooligans were ne'er prosecuted. Those who instigated it were ne'er punished; rather, since 2023, the president has watched inter-ethnic tensions emergence betwixt the Igbo and Yoruba connected societal media, and the authorities did thing to douse it. The lone decision l...