Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the recent declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari in honor of late MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of 1993 presidential election.
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the recent declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari in honor of late MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of 1993 presidential election.
It described the pronouncement as a Greek gift targeted at pacifying the Yoruba after its failure to checkmate its (IPOB) activities, which remains the authentic voice of the people of the East.
In a statement issued through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB maintained that the posthumous award was a clever but desperate attempt by “Arewa agents of neo-colonialism to drive a wedge between the burgeoning understanding between the East and West.”
It wondered why the same people that detained and killed Abiola would turn around to reward him with a posthumous award, if not for next year’s general elections.
The statement read in part: “It appears there is no length the present Buhari administration will not go in its futile quest to counter IPOB agitation for a sovereign independent nation of Biafra. After another resoundingly successful 30th of May sit-at-home order from IPOB, it came to us as no surprise when Arewa north moved to pacify the Yorubas by declaring June 12 as the new Democracy Day.
“Since it has clearly dawned on them that IPOB is the authentic voice of the people of the East, thereby rendering their slaves in Ohanaeze Ndigbo and governors’ lodges in the South East impotent, their next best move is to gain the confidence of the West in order to checkmate the rising influence of those that have come to forge an alliance strong enough to rattle the status quo.
“Our successful sit at home order in 2017 prompted Arewa Consultative Forum to direct their youths to issue Igbos residing in the North with a quit notice. This culminated in a brutal military invasion of the home of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu sanctioned by Nnia Nwodo’s Ohanaeze and South East governors in what they termed Operation Python Dance. They came to kill, maim and ‘crush’ IPOB for good.
“An equally devastatingly successful May 30th, sit-at-home called by IPOB in 2018 have sent shockwaves to the ruling cabals in the north that IPOB not Ohanaeze Ndigbo or Igbo governors, are the true representatives of the people of the East.
“As with the clamour for restructuring, it can now also be confidently stated without fear of contradiction that this overriding need to checkmate IPOB is the sole reason behind the June 12 Democracy Day announcement by Aso Rock. A cynical move designed to truncate any East/West alliance or understanding with regards to a renegotiated Nigeria before 2019.
“We view this announcement of a posthumous award for demised leading sons of Yorubaland in Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi as another clever but desperate attempt by Arewa agents of neo-colonialism to drive a wedge between the burgeoning understanding between the East and West. We prefer to call this belated move by the north, medicine after death- too little too late.
“Isn’t it odd the same people that detained and killed Abiola are now cosmetically rewarding him with a posthumous presidency so close to an election year? The north are desperately hoping that Yorubas will once again accept this Greek gift and in turn reward them with their votes in 2019 as they did in 2015.
In the process renewing for another four years the tenure of the most mediocre, barbaric, brutal, despotic, genocidal and undemocratic regime in living memory. Yorubas must spare a thought for the people in Middle Belt and what they are experiencing in the hands of the same Fulani terrorists, before deciding to embrace ‘Buhari’ with open arms.
“The question most people are asking is, when will Yorubas bring to an end their one sided relationship with the north? Similar overtures were made to the West in the run up to the Biafra–Nigeria War when Chief Obafemi Awolowo was offered vice president to Gen. Yakubu Gowon which he accepted thereby abandoning his earlier agreement with Ojukwu. Thankfully, eminent statesmen like Pa Ayo Adebanjo has come out to condemn the whole posthumous charade.
“It will be unfortunate if other leading lights in the West were to allow themselves to be easily deceived by the June 12 pronouncement from Aso Rock. Yorubas have a golden opportunity now to rewrite African history before 2019 elections by insisting on their Ibadan declaration that there won’t be any elections in Nigeria unless the basis of the union is ascertained and renegotiated.
“This principled stance must be maintained because that is the only language Arewa north will understand, respect and respond to. Failure to hold rigidly to this stance will condemn Nigeria to a violent disintegration because full Islamisation, which the North are bound to unleash after their victory next year, will be resisted by force if need be by those of us in the East.
“We must not forget that it was the same core Arewa North that imprisoned Chief Awolowo. It was an Igbo man and later Biafran soldier Chukwuma Nzeogwu that led a coup that its sole aim was to release Awolowo from prison and install him as the Prime Minister of Nigeria.
It was another Igbo man, Ojukwu, that eventually released Awolowo from prison but upon his release went back to north and superintended the second worst genocide in human history.
“The same thing happened with Obasanjo’s civilian presidency, which again was another move by the Fulani caliphate to assuage grieving Yoruba people after the annulment of June 12 and killing of Abiola by the same north. Today, even Obasanjo who was once their darling is now in their firing line.
“This big brother small relationship have always been at play between the core north and Yorubas for centuries. Look at what Fulanis did to Yorubas in Ilorin where Afonja, a Yoruba prince was temporarily made the political head of the invading Fulani Islamic army to get him to turn against his fellow Yorubas. At the end of that campaign Afonja was killed by the Fulanis and his land converted to Fulani emirate.
“A Yoruba Oba will never in this life sit on the royal throne in Ilorin. Ilorin emirate has become the exclusive prerogative of the Fulanis.
This unfortunate outcome and Yoruba national disgrace was made possible because a Yoruba man accepted what appeared on the face of it an exalted political position not knowing it was a Trojan horse. These mistakes of the past must not be repeated by this present Yoruba generation.
“Yorubas are learned, cosmopolitan and urbane. They possess enough intelligent people in their ranks to understand the damaging effect these periodic politically motivated inducements from the north can portend in the long run.
That mere posthumous elevation of Abiola to a GCFR is sufficient to erase the horrors of this Buhari regime in the minds of Yorubas is an insult and if entertained will speak volumes about their political priorities of the Yoruba race.
“The Yoruba enlightened political class must maintain a principled commitment to a change that will be of benefit to all, even where that change may include total disintegration of Nigeria as advocated by IPOB.”
