The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has kicked at the meeting between the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo and some Igbo leaders of thought, saying it was a waste of time on the part of FG to have excluded leaders of the IPOB from the gathering.
IPOB disowned the Igbo leaders present at a meeting it described as an effort in futility.
Recall that Osinbajo had yesterday hosted some Igbo leaders at the Presidential villa, Abuja on issues bordering on the ultimatum issued by Northern youths that Igbos should vacate the region in three months.
Reacting to the meeting, IPOB tagged 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 by its spokesperson Emma Powerful, IPOB said “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.”
