March 28 Polls: MASSOB Activists Protest in S/east States, insist on Jega's Removal
APC: they are paid agents
Ahead of the March 28 Presidential/National Assembly election, thousands of Members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB) Friday staged peaceful protests across the five states of the South East zone calling for the immediate removal of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega.
However, in a swift reaction, the APC spokesman in the south-east, Osita Okechukwu dismissed the claims by MASSOB as self-serving, insisting that the protests were part of the moves aimed at stopping the INEC from using the card reader device for the elections.
MASSOB alleged that Jega was working for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
The MASSOB members some of who dressed in their official navy blue uniform with the Biafra insignia, the rising sun and armed with different placards, urged the federal government to remove Jega from office to forestall bloodshed that could arise from a "biased election" which he (Jega) was allegedly planning to conduct in favour of the opposition party.
The Leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike told Thisday that the protest was held simultaneously in all the states of the south east zone in order to drive home the point that any election conducted by Jega would be rejected.
Continuing, Okechukwu while wondering why MASSOB had suddenly deviated from its core mandate of seeking for a separate state of Biafra to supporting a federal election, said the usage of card reader remained the only solution to electoral malpractices in the country.
Though the protest march in Enugu which commenced from the popular Edinburgh Road in the city centre where members of the group from the 17 local government areas converged and marched to Ogbete main market axis and from there to other major streets was generally peaceful, that of Ebonyi state protest turned violent.
Men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of Ebonyi State Police Command not only dispersed the protesting MASSOB members but also fired many gas canisters, which made the protesters and people within the vicinity to scamper for safety.
The protest, which started at about 12:05 pm caused heavy gridlock within the popular Speradeo junction, Abakaliki, as the protesters, dressed in their uniform, were roving round the roundabout before the arrival of the security operatives.
After the dispersal, security was also beefed up around the major roundabouts within the capital city to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
The aggrieved MASSOB members like their counterparts in Enugu numbering over 2000 chanted songs "Jega must go" which coincided with the only inscription in the placards which they displayed.
The same scenario played out in Umuahia, Abia State capital where the MASSOB members in their numbers thronged the streets calling for the removal of Jega.
Some of their placards read: “Professor Attahiru Jega must go”, “With Jega no election “, “Go Jega, Says MASSOB” and “Jega Must Go”.