Nnamdi Kanu: Ohanaeze President, Nwodo writes Ndigbo [FULL LETTER]

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo, denied allegations raised towards him by the chief of Indigenous folks of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Nwodo in an open letter launched on Thursday in Enugu, dismissed claims that he’s a Fulani stooge; quashing IPOB recommendations that he colluded with the Nigerian Army to assault, underneath the notorious Operation Python Dance, Kanu’s homestead in Afara-Ukwu Umuahia, Abia state.

The former two-time Minister, who went additional to recall evidences of his condemning a number of anti-policies of the federal authorities, reeled out his contributions and performances in pursuit of the Igbo trigger.

The letter reads thus:

“My consideration has been drawn to a recorded speech made by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, chief of IPOB, now streaming within the social media.

“The speech was ostensibly made in Germany forward of a go to, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu and I had been scheduled to make to Germany for a gathering of Ndigbo.

“In that video, Nnamdi peddled unprintable lies about me and rebuked Igbos in Germany for inviting me and threatened that I can’t go away Germany alive. I might have ignored this speech as I’ve ignored lots of his earlier abuses and deliberate falsehood beforehand broadcast towards me.

“I had ignored them prior to now not solely as a result of the distortions and falsehood had been not directly countered by the sturdy publicity of my actions and utterances which negated his representations but in addition as a result of I assumed it was indecent for a father and his son to be engaged in public disputations, particularly when such disputations in our current circumstances will weaken our solidarity and painting us as a divided and unserious lot.

“It has nonetheless turn into vital now to rebut his persistent falsehood as a result of, not to take action will make them credible amongst those that might not have heard my aspect of the story.

“The IPOB chief to start with accuses me of being an confederate to the invasion of his homestead in Umuahia by the Nigerian Army in Operation Python Dance.

“Secondly, he accuses me persistently of being a Fulani stooge who would all the time do the beckoning of the ruling Fulani elite in Nigeria. He additionally accuses my late father of being a Fulani stooge.

‘He holds me and our South East Governors and Legislators accountable for the marginalization of the South East. He accuses me of being towards the belief of Biafra and a saboteur to the Igbo trigger.

“First of all, I’m neither the Commander-in Chief of The Nigerian Armed Forces nor a member of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Secondly, I by no means participated in any assembly the place operation python dance was ever advisable or ordered. Truth is that when the second operation python dance was ordered, I wrote towards it and suggested towards it within the media. I noticed no want for it

“I condemned the mayhem that adopted it. I wrote to the GOC 82 Division N.A on the violation of the UN guidelines of engagement by his troops. I listened to the temporary of the Abia State Government on the clashes between the Nigerian Police and Nnamdi Kanu on the institution of the Biafra Security Service with out legislative approval or information of the Nigerian Police. I known as for warning.

“I confronted the Attorney General of the Federation on his transfer to acquire an interlocutory order to allow him classify IPOB as a terrorist group. When the Federal Government lastly proscribed IPOB, I criticized it.

“I wrote to the UN secretary General in these phrases. ‘It is a verifiable incontrovertible fact that, aside from recourse to using intemperate language, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) marketing campaign has been usually peaceable, non-violent and in conformity with the related provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

‘Their marketing campaign has additionally been in conformity with the United Nations’ Instruments and Protocol on Human, Civil and Political Rights. It is because of this that I, the undersigned, with out endorsing among the their strategies of agitation, nonetheless make daring to look at that their protestations have remained on the degree of verbal expressing, radio communications, peaceable avenue demonstrations, prayer classes and these days, a sit-at-home occasion in reminiscence of the thousands and thousands of Igbo lives misplaced in the course of the civil conflict.

‘At no time has any of those teams resorted to using arms or violence. If their sit-at –house occasion of 30th May 2017 was an inconvenience, it was extra so to the Igbo communities of the South-East and to not the folks within the Northern States or the remainder of Nigeria.’

“To subsequently flip round to make use of it as a motive for mass ejection of the Igbo in Northern Nigeria is a mere ploy to isolate the Igbo for an additional spherical of bloodbath, dispossession and deprivation of their elementary human and constitutional rights. This, Your Excellency, portends the hazard of degenerating into one other civil conflict in African’s most populous nation, a breach of worldwide peace and safety, a messy break-up of Nigeria leading to large inside displacement of individuals and excessive incidence of refugee flows.”

“I took the IPOB case to the British Institute on International Affairs in Chatham House London and stated the next phrases, ‘Let me seize this chance to as soon as extra thank the Royal Institute of International Affairs for inviting me as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to talk right here as we speak. In Nigeria, Ndigbo whose social cultural group I lead, are, however their historic experiences in Nigeria, essentially the most loyal ethnic group to the idea of 1 Nigeria.

‘We are the biggest ethnic group aside from the indigenous group in any a part of Nigeria. We make investments and contribute to the financial and social lifetime of the communities wherever we reside. We are proudly Christians however very accommodating of our brothers of different non secular persuasions. We are grossly marginalized and nonetheless handled by the Federal authorities as second-class residents. No Igboman, for example, heads any safety arm of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Our space is essentially the most closely policed as if there was a deliberate coverage to intimidate us and maintain us down.

‘Our endurance has been stretched past Hooke’s gauge for elastic restrict. The deployment of the Nigerian Army underneath the guise of Operation Python dance to the South East was unconstitutional underneath S. 271 of the 1999Constitution.

‘Deployment of the military within the structure is barely allowed in circumstances of rebel, terrorism and exterior aggression not in killing of monks, or combating kidnapping. And in these circumstances the place they are often deployed, go away of the Senate have to be sought. This brazen impunity in coping with issues which concern the South East is provocative.

‘The Arewa Youths Council by issuing a give up discover for Igbos to go away Northern Nigeria and declaring a Federal Republic of Nigeria with out Igboland had dedicated critical infractions of the regulation. First by declaring a brand new Republic of Nigeria which excises the South East unilaterally, they had been committing treason. By issuing a proclamation for Nigerians to go away any a part of Nigeria forcibly they had been infringing the elemental rights of harmless Nigerians, as assured by the Constitution to reside and do enterprise anyplace.

‘By commencing a list of Igbo property in Nigeria for seizure by October 1st, 2017, they had been trying conversion. By proclaiming a mop-up motion of those that didn’t adjust to their order by October 1st, they had been, no doubt, inciting genocide. Yet, despite all these, orders to arrest them by the Kaduna State Government and the Inspector General of Police weren’t enforced nor had been they prevented from holding courtroom with Governors and main elders from the North’

“I rebuked the Federal Government for the best way IPOB, an armless group combating for self-determination, was labeled as a terrorist group while Fulani herdsmen labeled by the Global Terrorist Index because the 4th deadliest terrorist group on this planet was handled with child gloves.

“I maintained the identical view in my public lectures at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, UNN, Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Anambra State and plenty of different locations inside and out of doors Nigeria.

“I problem Nnamdi to present me one single proof of my involvement in conspiring Operation Python Dance.

“Notwithstanding these plentiful proof of my championing IPOB trigger, he ordered an invasion of my phone with quite a few insulting calls and threats to my life. My house in Ukehe was bombed. Police investigations of those incidences linked a few of them to IPOB members. Their attorneys approached me and I assumed {that a} father taking his son to courtroom and subsequently to jail can be un-Igbo. Notwithstanding their confessional statements, I withdrew my compliant towards them they usually pledged to be of fine habits.

“Thereafter the marketing campaign of calumny resumed. Prof. Ben Nwabueze, a foremost Igbo chief, summoned two conferences of myself accompanied by some members of Ohanaeze government and IPOB leaders to his houses in Enugu and Atani. After these conferences, he declared that IPOB has not established any prima facie case towards me and that he didn’t need any of their spurious allegations raised once more. We shook fingers and embraced one another.

“Nnamdi accuses me of being a Fulani stooge!! I’m certain no affordable Igbo man believes him. I’ve criticized President Muhammed Buhari greater than every other Nigerian. Perhaps, what I don’t do is to insult his individual or name Nigeria a zoo. I used to be skilled to be respectful. I can disagree with you with out being impolite and impertinent.

“No matter how sectional, incompetent or unproductive I think about the President of Nigeria to be, I need to respect his age and workplace in my criticisms of him. As for the assault on my late father, I forgive Nnamdi. My father was Zik’s Minister and Okpara’s Minister. My father and late Chief M.N Ugochukwu had been among the distinguished financiers of the Biafran War. I fought the Biafran War myself as a Biafran soldier at a really younger age with out my mother and father objecting.

“Yes, I served President Shehu Shagari and General Abdulsalami Abubakar as minister. I respect them however variations of opinion we might have on the construction of Nigeria.

“Odumegwu Ojukwu was like my senior brother. Bianca can attest to our closeness and my loyalty to him. Vice President Alex Ekwueme was my mentor and good friend. Nnamdi Azikiwe confided in me and handled me like a son. M.I. Okpara was the Chairman of my marriage ceremony. Late Dr. Dozie Ikedife was the primary individual to signal my nomination type for the workplace of President General of Ohanaeze. None of those Igbo leaders discovered me a traitor of Igbo trigger. Every-where I’ve been in Igboland, younger women and men embrace me, pose for images with me and commend my efforts in championing our case. I salute all of them.

“The IPOB chief accuses me of becoming a member of the South East Governors to sabotage the reason for our folks. This youngman both doesn’t perceive nor admire the system we run. Our Governors had been elected in accordance with the regulation. They are Chief Security Officers of our States despite the fact that the armed forces that ought to help them take orders from Abuja.

“I don’t belong to any organ of their governments. They don’t give me directions neither do I give them. We are speculated to cooperate and work collectively within the curiosity of our folks. Where we differ, I need to respect our freedom to take action however in some instances I need to additionally respect the confidentiality of our discussions.

“Finally, no quantity of insultive, provocative and incendiary speeches can get us Biafra or Restructuring.

“I used to be one of many brokers that put collectively the Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum. No stress group in Nigeria is as sturdy as this group within the battle to restructure Nigeria. Restructuring Nigeria will give the South East sovereign independence within the management of our nationwide sources and political management of our authorities constructions.

“Short of a conflict you’ll be able to’t pressure Nigeria to grant us Biafra. I consider that working collectively we are able to obtain a referendum/constitutional modification or a plebiscite. That will probably be a primary step to self-determination. The journey of Catalonia and Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic are examples of how lengthy and tedious the battle for self-determination is in our modern world. Let’s go step-by-step and with out acrimony.

“I’ve famous the threats to my life from the IPOB chief. I go away that to God and the regulation.

“Ndigbo will recall that when the chief of IPOB was launched, the South East Senate caucus suggested him to leverage with me and different Igbo leaders in order that we are able to obtain a synergy. We met as soon as and three weeks after that despite our cordial discussions, I used to be the topic of his abuse on Radio Biafra. It would seem that he’s on a megalomaniac streak the place he arrogates to himself the monopoly of knowledge and capability to trigger mayhem.

“Ndigbo, I’ve championed your trigger with each quantity of power in me. I’ve labored with little encouragement or help.

“Thank God my staff and I’ve elevated Ohanaeze Ndigbo to an enviable standing. It is harmful for our solidarity and supreme success if we enable these vituperative outbursts to truncate our solidarity. In spite of all I say, I salute Nnamdi for his braveness and his persistence in upholding our case however I urge you all to stand up and condemn what’s condemnable. Speak up and disgrace those that would need us to separate into items and destroy our resolve to battle as a united folks.

“As a father, I’ll all the time forgive an erring baby however not with out drawing his consideration to a misdemeanor which ought to by no means be repeated.”