Dr. Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, the Lagos State President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural group, has raised alarm over what he described as the continued marginalisation and political exclusion of Igbos during the just-concluded local government elections in Lagos.
Speaking from his residence in Ikoyi, Aguene accused the Lagos political establishment of deliberately disenfranchising Igbos during election periods, stating that many were systematically denied the chance to vote or participate in the process.
“This is not peculiar to this particular exercise,” he said. “It has become a trend. Even though we have contributed immensely to the growth of the state, both economically and socially, we are still not seen as worthy of holding strategic positions.”
According to the Igbo leader, the pattern of exclusion has gone beyond voters and now affects aspirants, as credible Igbo candidates are frequently blocked from contesting council chairmanship and councillorship seats despite the community’s long-standing presence and investment in the state.
He noted that in rare cases where Igbos are appointed, they are limited to symbolic roles such as vice chairmanships in local councils, which he described as tokenistic. “At best, you might find one or two Igbos serving as vice chairmen in local councils but that is the exception, not the norm,” Aguene lamented.
He went further to question the democratic credentials of the state, declaring that the electoral process in Lagos, and by extension, Nigeria, lacks fairness, equity, and genuine representation. “What we have is not democracy, but a system where opportunists hijack power and suppress the will of the people. This, in turn, leads to widespread voter apathy because citizens no longer see the point in participating in a process that consistently fails them,” he stated.
Calling for a more inclusive political structure, Aguene said that the contributions of Igbos to Lagos’ development must be matched with adequate political representation and access. He urged policymakers to embrace a broader vision of democracy that respects the rights of all ethnic groups, warning that ongoing exclusion could deepen mistrust and fuel social division in the state.
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