Tension is mounting as Otu Oka-Iwu, the apex organization of Igbo lawyers in Nigeria, has expressed deep disappointment and outright condemnation over the exclusion of the South East and South South geopolitical zones from the recently constituted Presidential Committee on the National Population and Housing Census (2025).
In a strongly worded statement signed by its President, Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, and Secretary, Chief Ben Ihesiulo, the group described the exclusion as a deliberate affront to justice, equity, and national cohesion.
The legal body noted with dismay that of the seven-member committee, five hail from the South West, while the remaining two are drawn from the North Central and North West, leaving the South East and South South entirely absent from a critical national assignment that affects every Nigerian.
“This is not just an omission. This is a calculated act of marginalization and a brazen insult to the principles of federal character, equity, and inclusion as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
Otu Oka-Iwu emphasized that population census is far beyond a mere technical exercise, describing it as a political, economic, social, and cultural tool that shapes representation, resource allocation, and national planning for years to come. “It defines who counts, and who is counted,” the group said.
The organization lamented that such exclusion is part of a persistent agenda of sidelining the South East and South South regions in Nigeria’s governance structure, warning that it threatens the fragile unity of the country.
They demanded the immediate reconstitution of the committee to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and include competent representatives from the excluded regions, declaring that anything short of this would be “provocative, unacceptable, and a direct invitation to civil disobedience.”
Otu Oka-Iwu further issued a stern warning that should the injustice persist, it would mobilize people across the Southeast and South South to resist and reject any enumeration process conducted under what they termed a “flawed and exclusionary framework.”
“The unity of Nigeria cannot be built on selective inclusion and calculated injustice. There can be no peace where there is no justice,” the group stressed.
They also called on traditional rulers, political leaders, religious bodies, civil society organizations, and the international community to take note of what they described as a travesty of national justice and to demand immediate corrective action.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. The Census must reflect that, or it will reflect nothing at all,” the statement concluded.
The exclusion has continued to stir conversations across the country, with many observers warning that decisions of this nature threaten to undermine the credibility of national institutions and processes.
