By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A new group, Igbo Kwenu Consultative Forum (Igbo Kwenu) has emerged with the goal to fight Igbo marginalisation in Nigeria.

The group which was founded by and convened by a legal personality and an Onitsha-based Human Rights Lawyer and President, Voters Rights Association of Nigeria, Barr. Dr. Jezie Ekejiuba, regretted the continued marginalisation of the Igbo people of South East Nigeria.

A statement signed by the convener of the group and made available to News Express, described IGBO KWENU as a political forum or platform formed to agitate, advocate and fight for the constitutionally-guaranteed political rights of the Igbo people of South East Nigeria including the right to elect the President of Nigeria of Igbo extraction under the rotation principle indirectly provided for under Section 42 (1), (b),14(3 and 318 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

The statement read in part, "A combined reading and interpretation of the above provisions will clearly show that the Nigerian Constitution indirectly provided for the entrenched rotational presidency of Nigeria.

"Igbo Kwenu will use peaceful and legal channels through the Media campaigns and advocacy and Legal Actions in the Courts of law to achieve its mission, vision and objectives to unchain and liberate the Igbo people from their current sorry state of systematic political marginalisation in Nigeria.

"Igbo Kwenu is out to serve as the true voice of the Igbo man in a New Nigeria where every citizen should be treated as equal irrespective of sex, race or origin

"Igbo people have been a thorn in the fresh of this rights lawyer and lover of his people. From the denial of additional one State to the South East region for sake of equity in the polity to the denial of Igbo rotational presidency to the denial of Igbo people from the commanding heights of political appointments in Nigeria namely political, security, military posts by the Buhari and Tinubu Administrations to the disdain by President Buhari and President Tinubu for the call by or voice of the respected Igbo Leaders to release Nnamdi Kanu for the sake of security in the South East to the continued militarisation the of South East region with uncountable police and military checkpoints, the list of marginalisation is endless. "

It further described Ekejuba as one who has for many years been in the vanguard for the protection of the rights of Voters in Nigeria through the instrument of Court litigations on many won cases that touches on safeguarding the rights of voters namely: Barrister Jezie Ekejiuba v. INEC & Anor CA which struck down the provisions of the Electoral Act that empowered INEC to de-register recognised political parties in Nigeria.

"Barr. Jezie Ekejiuba v. Governor of Anambra State & Ors.CA on the illegal use of appointed Caretaker Committees to govern the 21 Local Government Areas of Anambra State which pended at the Supreme Court until it was overtaken by the recent Supreme Court of Nigeria final decision on the subject matter to name but a few because of space constraints."

It recalled that while the electoral agency, INEC was still on appeal at the Supreme Court the electoral umpire lobbied the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to insert the challenged provisions into the Constitution of Nigeria.

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