The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos State, Dr Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, has criticized and condemned the manner in which Igbos living in the State were deliberately disenfranchised and denied voting in the Saturday, July 12, 2025 local government elections in the State.
Aguene specifically expressed concerns over the denial of Igbo politicians the right to vote and be voted for during every election in the nation’s former capital, stressing that there is no democracy in Lagos State.
The President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who stated this while commenting on the conduct of the exercise at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence, noted that the denial of the Igbo from voting has become a recuring decimal at every election cycle in Lagos State.
In the words of Aguene; “It is a sad development that Igbo people resident in Lagos State were deliberately denied the opportunity to vote.
The ugly trend is not just taking place in this election. It has become a practice during every election cycle. In the same vein, Igbo residents in the state are not allowed to contest for local Government Chairmanship and councillorship positions. “This is in spite of our contribution to the economic and political development of the state. We are being treated unfairly. There are one or two Igbo persons as Vice Chairmen of Local Governments.
“It is safe to conclude that we don’t have democracy in Nigeria, because democracy promotes equity, justice and fairness. What we have is opportunists grabbing power and ruling.
“There is voter apathy in Lagos and Nigeria because Nigerians are tired of voting for opportunists.
“If Igbos can invest heavily in Lagos and have lived most parts of their lives here in Lagos, they should be given the opportunity to hold some positions in the state.
“Governance in Nigeria has become just for the few as many Nigerians are really suffering. The situation in Nigeria is really terrible,” he said.
