OBA OF LAGOS AND IGBO VOTES

Igbos in Lagos have the right to vote for any candidate of their choice, argues

thus: First premise: Oba, the throne, supports Ambode for continuity of excellence. Second premise: Whoever fails to vote Ambode is working against the throne and will end up in the Lagoon. Conclusion: Therefore if the Igbos living in Lagos fails to vote Ambode they will end up in the lagoon.

The second likely interpretation is that the Oba was misquoted, that he never said the Igbos living in Lagos will die in the lagoon for not voting Ambode.

Anyway one thing deductible from the Oba’s statement is that the Oba wants the Igbos living in Lagos to vote for Ambode in appreciation of the kind gesture of the Lagos State government.

The Oba of Lagos should understand that constitutional democracy operates through well-laid constitutional principles not through superstitious beliefs in the power of the Lagos Lagoon or any other juju or voodoo for that matter. Constitutional democracy which we are practising guarantees the Igbos living in Lagos certain inalienable rights which includes the right to vote for any candidate of their choice. More importantly, by virtue of sections 37, 38 39, 41 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution the Igbos living in Lagos are free citizens who are at liberty to either vote for or vote against Mr Akinwumi Ambode on Saturday. Specifically, section 42(1) (a) (b) of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that “A citizen of Nigeria of any particular community, ethnic group, place of origin shall not, by reason only that he is such a person (a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizen of Nigeria or other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religious or political opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either expressly by or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizen of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions. (2) No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth”. When some Igbo residents in Lagos were deported from Lagos a few years ago in the pretext that they were destitute constituting nuisance in Lagos, the Lagos State government was referred, among other authorities, to section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution which states that, “every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof; and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry or exit therefrom.``

Now from deportation, we are talking about ending up in the Lagoon. I don’t think the Igbos living in Lagos have committed any crime deserving of a curse. They had merely exercised their right to vote for a candidate of their choice on March 28. And come Saturday they should freely exercise that right at the polls to vote for any candidate of their choice without fear. We are all members of the same human family.