A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and 2023 Labour Party senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Hon. Linus Abaa-Okorie, has urged President Bola Tinubu to address what he described as the “systemic exclusion, demolitions, and ethnic profiling” of Igbos, which he said persist even after 65 years of Nigeria’s independence.
In a statement issued in Abakaliki, the former two-term lawmaker in the House of Representatives said the ongoing marginalisation of the South-East undermines Nigeria’s constitutional principles of federal character and inclusive governance.
Okorie lamented what he termed “institutionalised imbalance” in ministerial appointments, alleging that while the South-East is restricted to the bare constitutional minimum, some states in other regions enjoy multiple full cabinet-rank ministers. He also pointed to alleged infrastructural discrimination, citing figures showing that the South-West was allocated about N2.5 trillion for road construction, compared to the South-East’s N446 billion.
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Responding to President Tinubu’s Independence Day anniversary address, Okorie said the decision to cancel the national celebration was “a louder statement than any speech,” describing it as “a silent admission of the hardship and disillusionment gripping the nation.”
“While the President may recite economic statistics, these numbers mean little to millions of Nigerians struggling with hyperinflation, hunger, insecurity, and unemployment,” he stated.
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He further accused the federal government of excluding the South-East from key national projects such as the gas pipeline network, despite Imo State reportedly holding Nigeria’s largest gas reserves — a situation he described as a deliberate stifling of the region’s industrial potential.
Okorie also cited the recent large-scale demolition at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex as an example of what he called “economic targeting.” According to him, on September 25, 2025, officials of the Lagos State Government, supported by armed security operatives, demolished at least 19 buildings — including a diagnostic centre, a crèche, a mall, and several offices — displacing hundreds of business owners, most of them of Igbo origin.
He alleged that the demolitions were carried out “in a commando-style operation,” without contravention notices or due process, even though affected traders had valid federal approvals through the Trade Fair Management Board.
