Nnamdi Kanu's Biafra Cause Suffers Setback as IPOB Groups Disagree

The Pro-Biafra groups in the South-eastern part of Nigeria are currently singing in discordant tunes on the scheduled Anambra gubernatorial election.

 

 

Despite the decision by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, that his group would boycott the November 18 governorship election in Anambra state, unless a referendum was held for Biafra restoration before then, various stakeholders and various pro-Biafra groups have taken a contrary decision to that effect.

 

They said their decision to hold a contrary view was predicated on the need for Ndigbo to have unity of purpose, be their brothers’ keepers and ensure urgent development of the region to carter for the needs of her citizens.

 

Rising from their crucial meeting convened by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Political Matters and the governor’s Liaison Officer to the Biafra War Veterans, Comrade Arinzechukwu Awogu in Awka, weekend, the pro-Biafra groups contended that the South-East governors must not take the quit notice given to Ndigbo with a kid’s glove, hence the need to start putting enablers in place in case of any eventuality.

 

The groups comprising a faction of IPOB; Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB; Biafra Liberation Council, BLC; Eastern Peoples Congress, EPC; Biafra Solidarity Movement, BSM; Biafra Revolutionary Organization, BRO; Joint Revolutionary Organization, JRO; World Union of Biafran Scientists, WUBS; Biafra Liberation Crusaders, BLC, Biafra Students Union, BSU; Salvation of Peoples of Biafra, SPB; Costumary Government of Biafra, CGB; Council of Elders Indegenous People of Biafra, CEIPB; Bilie Human Rights Initiative, BHRI; Biafan Government in Exile, BGIE; Ohaneze Ndigbo, OTU Suwakwa Igbo among numerous others. President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Anambra State chapter, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene who spoke at the meeting, advised Ndigbo to face the current travails of Ndigbo with caution, adding that Ndigbo need to use their brains and intellect now more than ever as Nigeria of today has not treated Ndigbo fairly.

 

Okeke-Ogene cautioned against call for election boycott and said that Ohanaeze Ndigbo is leaving no stone unturned in the quest for Ndigbo to start implementing the think-home philosophy as espoused by Governor Willie Obiano, even as he regretted that the social media has been used to over heat the polity in recent times, especially the issue of no election in Anambra state.

 

Also speaking, the founder of OTU Suwakwa Igbo, Professor Pita Ejiofor noted that boycotting of an election is an evil wind that blows no one any good, pointing out that Ndigbo are still suffering from partial boycott of the 2006 national census which some people refused to be counted.

 

Ejiofor, therefore, advised the pro-Biafra groups to drop calls for election boycott so as not to give the enemy reasons to decimate our people again. He made reference to Dr. Michael Okpara’s boycott of 1964 election and the unpleasant consequences that followed it.

 

The Biafra War Veterans, speaking through its image maker, Major Ikechukwu Nwalunor (retd) said that they were happy to be part of discussions and decisions on the way forward as they have a lot to contribute as people who fought the war and are still alive today, adding that Biafra is a must-achieve but election boycott is anathema and called for a rethink.

 

Comrade Uchenna Madu, the MASSOB leader, in his address to the meeting said that while other groupings in Nigeria were alluding to separation that the Southeast leaders met at Enugu and said that they stand for united Nigeria and stressed that it is comments like that that create gulf between the so called leaders of the region and pro-Biafra groups.