Massob Protests, Seeks Jega’s Removal

The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra MASSOB yesterday embarked on peaceful protest insisting that the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega  must leave office before the March 28 Presidential Election.

MASSOB member numbering over three thousand disrupted vehicular movements on Awka Road, New Market Road Old Market Road and Court Road and other roads and streets of Onitsha and their presence attracted the attention of Onitsha Police Area Commander Mr. Philip Ezekiel, Divisional Police Officer DPO in charge of Inland Town Police Station Mr. Cosmas Eze who came out to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.

Wielding placards with inscriptions as “Jega must go”, “With Prof. Jega no election in Nigeria”, “INEC under Jega is fraud”,” Jega is working to return power to the North”, “Jega deliberately wanted to disenfranchise Ndigbo”, “Continued marginalization of Ndigbo is unacceptable to MASSOB”.

Addressing newsmen unbhalf of MASSOB leader Chief Ralph Uwazurike, Leader of MASSOB in Anambra North Senatorial District Mazi Chris Mocha, said their reason for demanding Prof. Jega removal or resignation is because the alleged nocturnal meeting he has been having with his kinsmen ion the North.

“All Prof. Jega’s activities have been targeted against the Igbo race, and MASSOB is a movement fighting tof rthe emancipation of Ndigbo, and we decided that we will no longer allow such ill treatment against Ndigbo to continue, hence the call for his removal”.

“Prof. Jega held series of meetings with his Muslim brothers in Saudi Arabia over the conduct of the general election and how to return power by hook or crook to the North, without considering the feelings of other Nigerians”.

Also enumerating the alleged sins of Prof Jega, Mocha said “Jega skewed the distribution of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) in favour of the North East and North-West and North Central with the aim of giving his people voting power against the entire South-East, South- West South and South-South, the worrisome and aborted additional 30,027 polling units (PU) which he allotted 0ver 21,027 while leaving the entire South to scramble for about 9000.

“The small number of PVC made available for the South East in particular was calculated to disenfranchise Ndigbo and giving the wrong impression that population of Ndigbo is not growing  while he made sure that the North got more than enough PVC to maintain their claim of being more population in Nigeria”.

“As at January 27, 2015 Jega distributed over 13 million PVC;s in the North West Zone and 7 million PVS’s in the troubled North East, and when the two are put together it stands at Over 20 million for only 13 states in the core North states and the figure by far out numbers those of the entire South which stands at 15 million for the 17 states of the South put together” he said.

MASSOB said “those who think that without Prof. Jega the elections will not hold, should understand that nobody is indispensable and just as none have depository of Knowledge, adding that Jega is just a figure head, there are people who are doing the job while Jega is taking the glory”.

“We are peaceful in all our demands, we speak for Ndigbo, no other group will come out top protest these injustices meted against Ndigbo except MASSOB and that is why we are carrying out a nationwide rally to demand the immediate removal of Prof. Jega, this protest is expected to hold in other states of the Federation.

“Jega can be replaced with a more credible, more transparent and a detribalized Nigerian who can conduct free fair and credible elections for the country, but with Jega Nigerians will in for a shocker in the name of election, there is no hope for a free and fair election” said Mocha.

Mocha however alleged that the police arrested three of their members while the peaceful protest was going on.

However the Onitsha Area Mr. Ezekiel  denied the allegation while speaking with Saturday Vanguard, saying that he actually sent out over 10 police vans to monitor the protest and when they discovered it was peaceful he allowed them wondering how police will arrest peaceful protesters.

Inland town D.P.O, Mr. Eze of Inland town police station who also led his men to monitor the protest also stated that nobody was arrested, and the protest was peaceful.

Culled: VanguardNG