By Chris Ugbaja
The Pan-Igbo Youth Assembly (PIYA) has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seven days to remove its National Commissioner, Ken Nnamdi Ukeagu, from overseeing Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi States, threatening to occupy INEC offices across the South East and its national headquarters in Abuja if the demand is not met.
The group also announced plans to mobilise millions of Igbo youths for mass demonstrations across the five South Eastern states and Igbo communities in other parts of the country and the diaspora, should INEC fail to act within the stipulated period.
PIYA made the demands during a world press conference in Owerri on Monday, accusing the National Commissioner of alleged partisan conduct, leaking sensitive electoral documents and confidential information to politicians and opposition interests.
The group said the allegations had created a serious crisis of confidence in the electoral umpire, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
While addressing newsmen, the group’s spokesman, Comrade Noble Nkem Regius, said the continued controversy surrounding Ukeagu’s neutrality was too serious for INEC to handle with administrative silence.
He argued that the commissioner should be removed from his current assignment pending a comprehensive investigation, insisting that the demand was aimed at protecting the credibility of the electoral process rather than targeting any individual.
The group also questioned what it described as the emergence of organisations mounting public campaigns in defence of the commissioner, following the earlier demand by a youth forum for his redeployment.
It accused such groups of diverting attention from the allegations instead of providing answers to concerns about the commissioner’s conduct.
PIYA further expressed concern over what it described as the repeated invocation of Ukeagu’s name and alleged association with political interests opposed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in the three states under his supervision.
It maintained that while politicians were entitled to support or oppose any candidate, no electoral official should become a political reference point or be perceived as having special relationships with competing partisan interests.
The assembly consequently called on INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to immediately remove Ukeagu from responsibility for the three states and establish an independent investigation into the alleged leakage of confidential electoral information.
It also demanded that the commission investigate alleged electoral consultancy arrangements involving the National Commissioner and anti-APC politicians in Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi States, identify those involved in any unauthorised disclosure and make its findings public.
Regius said the seven-day ultimatum was sufficient for INEC to take an administrative decision capable of restoring public confidence, warning that failure to act would trigger a coordinated protest campaign.
According to the group, the planned demonstrations would involve occupying INEC offices across the South East, while a broader pan-Igbo mobilisation would be organised to take the protest to the commission’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The assembly, however, said the planned protests would be lawful and disciplined, stressing that its campaign was directed at demanding institutional accountability and electoral neutrality.
It also called on the Presidency, National Assembly, Council of State, civil society organisations, traditional rulers and religious leaders to prevail on INEC to address the controversy. It specifically urged the National Assembly to exercise its oversight responsibilities by ensuring that the allegations received appropriate attention.
