The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation has blamed the failures of Ndigbo to adequately participate in the recently concluded Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, online voters registration exercise on the South-East leadership.
Ohanaeze, said following a thorough internal investigation into the dismal performance of the Southeast region, it finds themselves compelled to deliver this unvarnished truth to the Igbo people.
The pan-Igbo group stated that the figures are stark and deeply concerning. According to Ohanaeze, during the one-week online registration exercise, from August 18th to August 25th, 2025, the entire Southeast region recorded a profoundly unacceptable 1,998 new voter registrations.
This is contained in a statement issued on Monday by the factional Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Chief Thompson Ohia, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki, noting that the paltry sum stands in stark contrast to the 1.3 million Nigerians registered nationwide.
Part of the statement read: “Astonishingly, the Southwest region registered a staggering 848,359 new voters, followed by the North-Central region with 250,218. These figures represent a profound and unacceptable underperformance for the Southeast.
“Therefore, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, driven by an unwavering commitment to the welfare and future of Ndigbo, issues this imperative: Every eligible Igbo voter must, without hesitation, register during the ongoing INEC in-person voters registration exercise.
“Our internal investigations reveal a catastrophic failure of leadership and a glaring lack of awareness among the Southeast electorate regarding the significance of the online registration process.
“The absence of participation in Anambra State, where not a single individual registered, is particularly egregious and demands immediate condemnation.
“We hold all political leaders in Anambra State accountable, including Governor Chukwuma Soludo and former Governor Peter Obi, for their dereliction of duty.
“Their failure to mobilize eligible citizens for this crucial exercise represents a profound betrayal of trust. The blame, however, extends far beyond Anambra. We castigate the Southeast governors, whose focus on narrow political agendas has demonstrably overshadowed the paramount political interests of the Igbo people.
“While Ohanaeze Ndigbo itself acknowledges its own shortcomings in this endeavor, the traditional rulers and Southeast civil rights groups are also implicated in this collective failure. This irresponsible conduct has rendered the Southeast a political caricature in the eyes of the nation.
“These leaders have committed a grave political sacrilege, an unforgivable blunder, by failing to mobilize the Igbo people for this vital registration process. Ohanaeze Ndigbo now summons its righteous resolve to call upon Ndigbo to seize control of their destiny.
“The ongoing INEC in-person voters registration exercise, which commenced on August 26th, 2025, and will continue for one year, until August 31st, 2026, presents an opportunity for redemption. During this period, Ohanaeze Ndigbo will relentlessly exert pressure on the Southeast governors, the 95 Local Government Area chairmen under ALGON, traditional rulers, religious organizations, civil rights organizations, presidents of Igbo town unions, Igbo market associations, student groups, and all relevant stakeholders to mobilize every eligible individual to register.
“We cannot afford to be excluded from this critical electoral process. Failure to register will have dire consequences.
“Nothing that the Southeast will continue to suffer exclusion from the center, and the cries of ‘marginalization,’ though self-inflicted in this instance, will amplify the suffering of the Igbo people.
The Igbo organisation explained that this is a clarion call and rallying cry to all Igbo across Nigeria to participate in the INEC voters registration exercise across the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.”
