The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has condemned the
meeting between the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo and some Igbo leaders of
Thought, saying it was a “senseless, futile” gathering.
Recall that Osinbajo had yesterday hosted some Igbo leaders at
the Presidential villa, Abuja.
Issues bordering on the ultimatum issued by Northern youths
that Igbos should vacate their region in three months and the struggle for
secession by various pro-Biafra groups were discussed.
Reacting to the meeting, IPOB described those who attended
the parley as political jobbers, who have no mandate to speak for people of the
South East.
The pro-Biafra group also berated the Acting President for
allegedly using “scarce” resources that could have been channelled for useful
purposes to host Igbo leaders.
In a statement sent to DAILY POST by its spokesperson, Emma
Powerful, IPOB said the meeting was an “insult to the sensibilities of Biafrans
all over the world.”
The statement reads, “We the Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) under the supreme leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to place on record
our unequivocal condemnation of the wholesomely senseless and futile gathering
of a few compromised political jobbers from core Igbo states of Biafraland in
Abuja yesterday.
“This meeting we understand was convened at the instigation
of the Nigerian Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo following the
political fallout from the hugely successful IPOB sit at home order of 30th of
May 2017.
“With one or two exceptions and with the greatest respect to
the attendees to this Nigeria sponsored gathering in Abuja, the so-called South
East delegation is in no way representative of the views of the leadership of
IPOB worldwide, neither can they claim with any degree of sincerity to be
speaking for the masses.
“Therefore all Professor Osinbajo has succeeded in achieving
with this meeting is to waste scarce resources that could have been channelled
towards more useful purposes. None of those that attended this meeting with
Osinbajo gave the order for people to sit at home on May 30th. So we are at a
loss to understand the justification for their invitation to the meeting to
discuss something they know nothing about.
“IPOB viewed the meeting with certain Igbo politicians who
are sympathetic to APC as an insult to the sensibilities of Biafrans all over
the world, especially the memory of the dead and injured.
The group affirmed the stance of its leader that any
discussion with the Nigerian government must include a date for referendum or
such discussion is an “exercise in futility.”
The statement added, “Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has made
it abundantly clear that any discussion or dialogue with Nigerian government
that doesn’t include an agreement on a referendum date to determine the issue
of Biafra once and for all time, is an exercise in futility.
“In this regard, we wish to inform the government of Nigeria
that the gathering and deliberations they thought they had yesterday is a
complete waste of time and will continue to be until the Federal Government
does the needful.
“We note and respect the presence of Chief Nnia Nwodo the
Ohaneze Leader and two others at that very meeting, however the rest are
nothing to write home about. We do not think that presiding over the
distribution of monthly allocation from Abuja qualifies any political office
holder to discuss issues pertaining to IPOB and Biafra restoration when the
leadership can be directly contacted.
“Since August 2015 that Nigerian Government and her security
operatives, especially the Army, Navy, DSS and Police, have been killing and
abducting innocent and peaceful IPOB members, none of the governors that
attended this meeting in Abuja rose to condemn the brutal and barbaric
repression of IPOB peaceful agitation for an independent homeland for Biafrans.
“None of them offered any comment in condemnation of the
well documented atrocities despite the existence of overwhelming evidence to
substantiate the facts alluded to in the widely received Amnesty Report on the
senseless slaughter of IPOB members.
“How can such persons now go to Abuja to discuss issues
bothering on the activities of IPOB when they know nothing about the modus
operandi of the organisation. Only IPOB can and will discuss issues pertaining
to her activities, not compromised politicians.
“From time, we firmly resolved that nobody among the
governors or politicians can set an agenda for IPOB except our leader Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu. The sooner Nigerian Government understands this, the better.
Therefore, any meeting without the consent of our leader or those nominated by
him in a representative capacity, is a complete waste and unacceptable to
IPOB.”
By Seun Opejobi
