Hours after Atiku call out, Sanwolu condems #IgboMustLeaveLagos viral campaign six days after
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reluctantly condemned a post made by @Lagospedia on X (formerly Twitter) that called on the Igbo to vacate Lagos and the South-West.
The post by the user on July 27, 2024, asking Lagosians to brace for a massive #IgboMustGo protest from August 20 to 30, 2024, has since generated controversy on social media.
Sanwolu condemnation is coming six days after the hate message went viral on Twitter and could be said to have reacted to former vice president Atiku calling out on golden silence that followed the message.
Sanwo-Olu’s media aide, Gboyega Akosile, in a statement late Thursday, noted that the governor and indeed, the Lagos State Government “wish to distance themselves from the reckless, divisive and dangerous rhetoric, saying Lagos remains home to every Nigerian citizen regardless of their ethnic nationality.”
According to him, Sanwo-Olu views the post as not only reckless and divisive but also an attempt to sow a seed of discord between the Yoruba in the South-West and other tribes, “especially those who have made Lagos their permanent place of abode.”
“The governor appeals to Lagosians not to allow any person or group of individuals to create tensions in the state, calling on the security agencies to promptly investigate those behind the handle and bring them to justice.
“Mr Governor enjoins Lagosians to ignore the post and any post of that nature, promising to double his efforts towards ensuring lasting peace in the state,” Akosile said.
The governor’s message is coming hours after the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, called on the Federal Government to investigate and take action against those responsible for the hashtag “IgboMustGo” on X.
In a post on his verified Facebook page on Thursday, the former Vice President labelled the hashtag as divisive and a threat to peace and security.
“The recent call on X (formerly Twitter) for a protest under the hashtag #IgboMustGo, demanding the forced relocation of Igbo people from Lagos and other South-West states, is deeply troubling and fundamentally opposed to the principles of unity and coexistence that define our nation. Such rhetoric is not only divisive but also endangers our peace and security, as our Constitution guarantees every Nigerian the right to live and work freely anywhere in the country,” Atiku’s post partly read.
