The South East political class may have drawn the battle line with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, over his recent threat to disrupt the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.
The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) in the zone is championing a move to cut Kanu’s influence.
The plan, The Nation gathered, is to use political and legal means to stop Kanu and his group from preventing the conduct of the governorship election.
Sources familiar with the development said at least three meetings have been held by political activists and parties in the zone on ensuring that nothing stops the election from taking place.
Consequently, some political players in the zone may soon approach the court to seek an injunction restraining Kanu, IPOB or any other group or person, from acting in any manner that may jeopardize the peaceful conduct of the November 18 election in Anambra State.
“As a group and even as individuals, we view the threat as a sad development,” one of the sources said.
“It is unfortunate that Kanu decided to taint his agitation in such a ridiculous manner. Politicians and even the voters in the Southeast are not comfortable with such blatant display of undue arrogance. We strongly believe that the Igbo want restructuring and not secession.
“We have met and we are still meeting. The threat is not just about Anambra, it is about the entire Southeast zone. We cannot fold our arms or leave such a thing to chance.
“Political and legal means are being worked out to forestall any confusion before, during and after the governorship election in Anambra. We may be seeking legal injection against those threatening the election.”
He added that as part of the political means of tackling Kanu’s threat, mass sensitisation and mobilisation of the people of Ananbra State have been suggested.
“We have thought about reaching out to the people of Anambra and telling them about the danger of not participating in the governorship election. This may start anytime,” he added.
This is coming on the heels of the countermand issued earlier in the week by the President of the Igbo apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze, Chief John Nwodo, to Kanu’s threat of election boycott in Anambra State.
Addressing the State House of Assembly, Nwodo had said: “Whereas Ohanaeze understands the marginalisation and unfair treatment of Igbo which have given rise to self-determination movements in Igboland, leaders of these movements must not arrogate to themselves the supreme leadership of Igbo land.
“Statement of the kind credited to Nnamdi Kanu are provocative, misleading and unproductive. Why should Anambra people be denied the opportunity to choose their own leader? Why should any of us who are not from Anambra , no matter how highly placed, descend to the arena and dictate for Anambra people when to vote , Whether to vote or who to vote for?
“Anambra, nay Igbo, are still part and parcel of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Yes, we are not happy with our treatment in Nigeria. Yes, some of us want Biafra. Yes some of us prefer a restructured Federal Republic of Nigeria. But the fact remains that we are still part and parcel of the present Federal Republic of Nigeria, bound by its laws, no matter how repressive or unjust. Our approach to reforms of our laws even if it leads to self-determination or restructuring must be lawful.
“We must convince other Nigerians of our points of views, we must strive to make others share our concoctions. Our language must be civil, respectful and leads to consensus building. We must resist any attempt to turn division amongst us, as to which way we must go, becoming a source of altercation between us.”
Besides, a former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, said the people of Anambra in particular and Igboland in general, will not be part of the “no election” threat of the IPOB leader.
The politician urged Nigerians to disregard the threat, saying it was made in bad faith.
He added that neither Kanu nor IPOB can prevent Igbo people anywhere from exercising their rights to vote during elections.
“Kanu cannot prevent people from voting or seeking to be voted for. It is their civic rights. To say election will not hold is a joke. That election will come and go. For us in APGA, we take that election very seriously,” he said.
“APGA as a political party is keen about the said election. We are approaching it with every seriousness. Nobody can tell me not to vote. He leads IPOB, not the whole of Igboland. And IPOB is just one association in the southeast. So he represents IPOB and not the entire Igbo people,” he said
Earlier, Umeh’s party, APGA, had decried Kanu’s call on Anambra people to shun forthcoming gubernatorial poll in the state. The party, like Umeh, in a letter to Kanu, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ifeatu Obiokoye, said the call was irresponsible and devoid of intellectual focus.
“Nnamdi Kanu’s call for a boycott of elections in the South-East, beginning with the governorship polls scheduled for Nov.18, 2017 in Anambra is irresponsible, irredentist and totally devoid of any focus. You must appreciate that for different logical reasons and perception, the Biafra concept has attracted favourable comments among our people, ostensibly borne out of the marginalisation of Ndigbo in the Nigerian state,” the party said.
The party reminded Kanu that the right to vote and be voted for was a universally declared right under the United Nations Charter of People’s and Citizenship Right, and in the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It advised the IPOB leader to drop his “emperor” perception of himself “and humble yourself to the true leadership of Ndigbo for a proper and better articulation of the Biafra struggle”.
The national chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, also flayed Kanu and IPOB on the no-election threat in Anambra. The Abia State born politician added that the threat will soon fizzle out as nobody in the zone is willing to be part of any action that will disturb the governorship election in Anambra.
“As far as I am concerned, it is a position that will fizzle out in due course because it is not rooted in any logic. I can excuse their naivety but it is left for elders like us to call them to order in a very subtle manner, with superior logic without being antagonistic, confrontational and unduly offensive.
“The fact is that many of them do not know the danger of election boycott. It is a political suicide. In the Second Republic, a political coalition, called United Progressives Grand Alliance (UPGA), led by Dr. Michael Okpara, made up NCNC, led by Okpara, Action Group (AG), then led by Dr. Majekodunmi, as Chief Obafemi Awolowo was as at that time a political prisoner and United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC), led by Joseph Tarka, and Borno Youth Forum, led by Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim.
“You will recall that the alliance took the decision to boycott the 1965 election. That decision was a disaster because it gave the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) and Nigerian National Alliance (NNA) the advantage they wouldn’t have had. That was why Chief Akintola, who belonged to NNA, had advantage in the West then. Of course, everyone saw the backlash of that unwise decision to boycott the election.
“Bearing this in mind, I can assure you that the election in Anambra will be successful. Even the common Anambra people have expressed their anger at the insensitivity of the Kanu/IPOB threat against Anambra election. In fact, that threat is a major setback for IPOB,” the UPP leader said.
Similarly, Sam Oraegbunam, Chairman of the Anambra State chapter of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), insisted that the people of the state must be allowed to peacefully vote during the scheduled governorship election to forestall a situation where the state would be left without a governor.
“If Anambra does not hold election in Nigeria in November, it means that there will be a vacuum. And what happens to the state in terms of administration? Kanu is from a state and there is an elected governor. So he should allow us have our election because we are still a component of Nigeria,” Oraegbunam said.
