Our target is 40m, says Ohanaeze chieftain

By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Managing Editor, Abuja

Ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, Igbosliving in the 36 states acrossNigeriaand the FCT have registered not less than 12 million PermanentVoterCards(PVC)during the ContinuousVoterRegistration (CVR)exercisethat will end officially tomorrow, Thursday, June30, facts have emerged.The is an outcome of a massive conscious sensitisation and education embarked upon nationwide by a committee to ensure that every eligible Igbo gets registered and have the PVC.

NewsExpressgathered exclusively thatthecommittee was set up to sensitize and monitor the exercise across the countryandgiveits progress report.In its preliminary report, the figures show significant improvement against the previous records and figures that put the region in politically disadvantage positions.It was also learnt that objective is to correct the presumption that Ndigbos can be pushed aside in political schemes of the country and the concomitant marginalisation of the region.

A member of the committee who monitored the CVR exercise in Ondo State, South West of Nigeria, said while giving an update on Ondothat, “As at Friday 25th June 2023, over 12 million Ndigbo have been registered to vote in the 19 states of the North, 5.8m in the 6 states of the South-South, more than 10m in the 5 states of the South-East”.

In the report the eminent elderstatesman and a chieftain of ImeObi, an arm of the Ohanaeze, discloses that efforts are being made to up the figure hugely. He said in a footnote,“Our target is 40m and with the cooperation of INEC Ndigbo will register nothing less by God's grace and given the sensitisation, education, consciousness and enthusiasm of Ndigbo nationwide”.

This is coming afterSenator Dino Melayemockedthe region, sayingIgbo votes are no more than 3million and by implication the PDP Presidential Candidate can do without Igbo votes in 2023 Presidential election.

Putting the records straight the Ohanaeze chieftain stated:

“I just came back from a monitoring tour of the situation in the South West.

Below are the records and still counting.

IGBO TOWNS UNION SOUTH WEST:

(New INEC Voter Registrations.)

UPDATE ON ONDO:

Akure south 58,780

Akure North 8,210

Ondo West 26,890

Ondo East 3,400

Odigbo 45,378

Ileluji 7,590

Akoko (1) 55,700

Akoko(2) 36,031

Idanre (1) 41,000

Idanre (2) 1,600

Idanre (3) 943

Idanre (4) 3000

Ifon 5,378

Ose 8,940

Okitipupa 12,000

Ilaje 9,200

Irele 12,016

Total = 371,114 (NEW) plus 298,400(2020 figure)

Updated total = 669,514 for Ondo.

+

Iju = 7,540

Eseodo = 14,303

Itagbolu = 12,947

Igbaraoke = 15,874

Ijare = 3,150

Total = 53,814 + 669,514

*Latest updated total for Ondo*

*723,328*

UPDATE FOR OYO

New registration = 319,052

2019 record = 675,000

Updated total = 994,052

OGUN

New registration = 216,320

2019 record = 856,289

Updated total 1,072,609

EKITI

Update for Ekiti

284,100

UPDATE FOR OSUN

New registration = 311,200

2018 record = 278,340

Updated total = 589,540

Continuing, “These are the ones the Town Unions could get for now, there are some leaders whose numbers I couldn't reach, as to tender their records.

Currently we have about 3,609,915 (3,663,629) registered voters in southwest outside Lagos. I am sure it may hit 5 million after the exercise and including Lagos”.