Ilana Omo Oodua, the umbrella body for Yoruba Nation self-determination agitation, has clarified that Yoruba Nation agitators would stop the upcoming governorship election in the South-West through legal means.
This was contained in a statement to react to the controversies that greeted the New Year message one of its leaders, Prof. Banji Akintoye, on social media.
The statement was signed by the spokesperson for Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, Maxwell Adeleye, on Sunday.
Akintoye had threatened that the agitators would not allow election to hold in South-West, insisting the referendum must be granted for a Yoruba Nation.
Part of the statement read, “For clarity purpose, the decision to boycott and do everything within the ambits of the law to stop the Osun and Ekiti States 2022 Governorship Elections was taken by the Congress of Ilana Omo Oodua on 22nd December 2021.
“Our argument is that with a valid constitution force majure and notice of constitution grievance already declared in line with the United Nations and African Union Charters on People’s Right which Nigeria is a signatory to, the 1999 constitution which the Nigerian Government wants to use to conduct the Osun and Ekiti State Elections has already been invalidated.
“Notwithstanding our position, we resolved to approach the courts within the jurisdictions of Ekiti and Osun States to put our democracy into test by demanding a declaration that there’s indeed a constitutional dispute in Nigeria and as such, the elections in Ekiti and Osun states should not be conducted, hence the basis of the declaration from Professor Banji Akintoye that “there ‘ll be no Governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States in 2022”.
“We are just trying to explore the Constitutional avenue in the fight for our inalienable right to self-determination.
“Anyone perpetrating or planning violence is not one of us. We want to assure that if we lose in the Nigerian Courts, we shall take our case to the ECOWAS Court or the International Court of Justice. It is no retreat, no surrender.”
PUNCH
