MASSOB vows to resist polls conducted by Jega

Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MAS­SOB) has warned that it will resist elections in the South if the Independent Nation­al Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, refuses to go.
The MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, who gave the warning yester­day at a world press confer­ence, held at the MASSOB headquarters annex, New Owerri in Imo State, said the resolve of his group stemmed from various allegations of bias levelled against the INEC boss.
In his address entitled: Jega Must Go, Uwazuruike known as the Ijele Ndigbo, said: “It has become increasingly wor­risome that despite strong al­legations of bias against the INEC boss, Attahiru Jega, he (Jega) is still preparing to conduct the forthcoming gen­eral elections.”
He said the group’s worry stemmed from the fact that elections conducted by the INEC boss would lack cred­ibility and unavoidably put the nation in serious crisis.
“In such crisis, as usual, the safety of lives and prop­erty of Ndigbo in the North and other parts of Nigeria will be targets for destruction.
“From the onset, Jega was not prepared for free and fair elections. He demonstrated that by his infamous 30,000 polling units, where he allot­ted more than two-third of the polling units to the North. De­spite public outcry, the Sen­ate also passed a resolution stating that the polling units should not be used. Still, Jega went ahead and converted the polling units to voting centres in the North,” he said.
The MASSOB leader also pointed out that Prof. Jega was able to distribute more than 90 per cent of the per­manent voters’ cards (PVCs) in the North, including Boko Haram infested states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, while he failed to distribute 50 per cent of the same in the South before the elections were shifted.
He noted that even when the elections were shifted, there had been an avalanche of allegations that Jega would be biased in the conduct of the March and April elections.
“Plateau State Governor, Mr. Jonah Jang, has taken INEC to court based on the fact that the PVCs meant for distribution in his state were yet to arrive. Besides, other state governors are still com­plaining that PVCs meant for their states are yet to be printed.
“Jega wants to organise a kangaroo election, where he intends to pronounce his preferred candidate the win­ner of the election. This much has been stated by the South- East, South-South Leaders Forum, led by Chief Edwim Clark. The Forum also ex­hibited evidences of the min­utes of meetings by Jega and members of Northern Elders Forum. Till date Jega is yet to refute the allegations,” he said.
Uwazuruike said his group was disturbed by the catas­trophe his agenda might pro­voke, saying the impending calamity could be avoided by Jega’s exit.