…Asks Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu, others
As the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization Ohanaeze Ndigbo enters into its Ime Obi conclave, its President General, Prof. George Obiozor has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to seek political release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other detained Igbo youths.
Ambassador Obiozor said their freedom will engender national healing, fairness and a sense of belonging to Nigeria even as he insisted on zoning the Presidency to the South East ahead of next year’s general elections.
Welcoming other Igbo leaders to Imeobi in Enugu, he expressed concern that it was the first meeting of the Conclave of the apex Igbo organization since he assumed office.
He said: “I most whole heartedly welcome all of you to the Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. This meeting has been long awaited since the emergence of the current National Executive Committee (NEC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, on January 10,
“The delay is not in any way intentional but due to circumstances we neither created nor control. However, in all sincerity I wish to thank all of you and indeed all the sons and daughters of Igbo Land for the overwhelming support and solidarity the current NEC has enjoyed since our election.”
He added that “Since our inauguration in 2021, the NEC been confronted with a few challenges, namely; Insecurity, 2023 Presidency, poor work environment, financial constraints, COVID-19, etc”.
According to him, “Insecurity has pervaded almost all parts of Nigeria but each geo-political zone has its own peculiarity.
The advent of insecurity in the South East is both bizarre and dramatic. The South East had been adjudged the most serene and peaceful zone in Nigeria until April 5, 2021 when gunmen attacked the Correctional Facility in Owerri, Imo State and freed a total of 1,844 prison inmates.
“Since the April 5 episode, insecurity in the South East has attained an unprecedented unbearable crescendo. In condemning the spate of violence in the South East, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide also called attention to the strategic capacity of the local non-state actors to overwhelm a highly fortified correction centre and discharging a total of 1844 inmates without any arrest.
“Sit- at- Home Order: The Monday sit- at- home is a slur on the Igbo. It is strange for a group to face the barrel of the gun inwards. Many people have estimated the huge loss the South East incurs on a weekly basis as a result of the sit- at –home order. Ohanaeze Ndigbo has tried severally to persuade our youths, even enjoined them to realize the consequences of their actions”.
On the 2023 Presidency, he stated that “the clamour for an Igbo to be elected as a President of Nigeria is morally and historically justifiable. It is a project every Igbo must commit himself or herself. To this end, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has made contacts with several Nigerian leaders with respect to the right of the South East to produce a President for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“All the double dealings about zoning and rotation of power is an orchestrated conspiracy to deprive the South East of the right to produce a president. I want to assure all of you that hard as they may try, they will surely fail. Ours is a right and just cause. I wish to use this opportunity to encourage all the Presidential aspirants from the South East to remain focused, tenacious and optimistic.
“In fact we are fully committed to the resolution by the Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum (SMBLF) that no Southerner, in fact a South Easterner for that matter, should denigrate himself or herself with the position of a Vice President. The Political Action Committee (PAC) of Ohanaeze Ndigbo will still meet several eminent Nigerians to persuade them to appreciate the need for a South easterner to be elected a president of Nigeria”.
The renowned diplomat underscored the importance of participation in the electoral process adding, “It is important that I underline the urgent need for Igbos wherever they reside in Nigeria to make haste to acquire their permanent voters cards (PVCs). In this connection I call on the Association of South East Town Unions, Traditional Rulers, the leadership of Ndigbo in Diaspora, Religious bodies, Market Associations and all other groups to take this message very seriously. It is a task that must be undertaken”.
