By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Chairman of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD), Chief Chekwas Okorie has urged governors in the Southeast to take urgent steps to curb rising political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okorie, in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, warned that growing political tensions, attacks on opposition gatherings and alleged intimidation of political opponents were threatening democratic participation in the region.
He called on Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, to convene an emergency meeting of governors in the region to address what he described as a deteriorating security situation.
Okorie maintained that political power should be won through democratic elections rather than violence and intimidation.
“A dangerous trend has reared its ugly head in the Southeast geopolitical zone recently. The desperate struggle for political power through conquest instead of the ballot box, according to the tenets of democracy and the laws of Nigeria, in the build-up to the 2027 general elections is raging with ferocious speed in Igboland,” he said.
The former politician recalled that he had written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu on March 12, 2026, titled Halt the Brewing Anarchy in Nigeria, warning that the actions of state and non-state actors could trigger a breakdown of law and order.
He expressed disappointment that, according to him, the Federal Government had failed to respond adequately to the concerns raised in the letter.
Okorie also faulted the government for allegedly failing to publicly condemn an inflammatory remark attributed to Islamic cleric Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, who reportedly told Nigerians opposed to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket to leave the country.
He warned that the absence of a strong response to such statements could embolden political actors to resort to inflammatory rhetoric and actions.
Turning to the Southeast, Okorie alleged that opposition parties were increasingly being attacked by armed thugs while organising public gatherings and political rallies.
He claimed that some of the attacks lasted for hours, resulting in serious injuries and loss of lives, while security agencies appeared unable to prevent the incidents or bring the perpetrators to justice.
The IAD chairman also expressed concern over what he described as exorbitant fees charged by some Southeast governments for political campaign billboards. He alleged that the charges could run into hundreds of millions of naira for a single billboard.
He warned that the alleged high fees, alongside reports of opposition supporters removing billboards belonging to ruling parties, could heighten tensions and trigger wider unrest.
Okorie urged the governors to adopt a common approach to safeguarding political actors and protecting residents’ democratic rights across the region.
He warned that failure to address the situation could have devastating consequences, citing the Southeast’s experience of the Nigerian Civil War as a reminder of the cost of prolonged conflict.
“No matter how the Federal Government of Nigeria may downplay the situation in the North, the painful truth is that wars are raging in the Northwest and Northeast sectors. In spite of the assistance of the United States of America, the wars have not abetted,” he said.
He cautioned against allowing the Southeast to descend into a similar security crisis, noting that the destruction and human suffering caused by the civil war remained a painful part of the region’s history.
“Our present Southeast governors will be held accountable if Igboland becomes another war zone. Fifty-six years after the end of the fratricidal war in the former Eastern Region, the scars and destruction of that war are still festering and unaddressed,” Okorie said.
He insisted that political parties could not secure the votes of the people through coercion or violence.
“Igbo votes for the 2027 elections can never be obtained by conquest,” he declared.
Okorie urged residents of the Southeast to remain vigilant and defend their voting rights as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.
“Ndigbo must remain vigilant and defend their franchise as we are known to do from creation,” he added.
He concluded his statement with the rallying cry, “Igbo kwenu!”