The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MASSOB

  • MASSOB stages anniversary march in Ebonyi

    •Police stop group in Aba, Owerri

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) yesterday staged a march in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, to mark 16 years of the struggle.

    The group called on the international community to intervene in its suffering in the hands of the Nigerian government.

    Addressing reporters, MASSOB’s zonal leader in Ebonyi North, Gideon Iloke, said the celebration was to thank God for sustaining them in the struggle, which, according to him, had not been easy, especially in the face of Federal Government’s intimidation and harassment.

    On the progress made in the struggle, the MASSOB leader held that the 16 years had been a journey of pains and tears, but with the help of God, they were able to register their case with the international community on marginalisation in the hands of the Nigerian government.

    The Movement’s leader in Ebonyi South, John Nwifuru, hailed the resilience of members in withstanding the intimidation and harassment since the struggle started.

    Nwifuru, who lamented the neglect of Ndigbo, said that was the reason for the formation of MASSOB.

    According to him, successive governments failed to address the situation.

    Nwifuru, who led his members in a victory march across major roads in Afikpo enjoined members to remain focused and never relent as they had progressed in their quest to self determination. He hailed the undying spirit of the MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike in sustaining the struggle.

    “I want Ndigbo to rejoice because Biafra has come to stay, and it is high time we started to celebrate our freedom from the dictatorial leadership of the Nigerian government which was the main reason Biafra sought self determination under our late warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.”

    Leader, Ebonyi Central, Moses Eze said: “This is the 16th year of our vicissitudes of sweat and tears on our road to freedom. We salute our heroes past, who paid the supreme sacrifice for the liberation of the Igbo nation and we remind our members that the struggle continues; we will never go back even as we still maintain our non- violent approach to our struggle.”

    Members of the movement were arrested in Imo State when the police raided several churches where special services were held to mark the movement’s 16th year anniversary.

    National Director of Information, Chris Muocha, said the police disrupted the ceremony in Owerri, Onitsha and Abakaliki, alleging that some members were harassed by security men, while others were arrested and taken to unknown destinations.

    According to him, “the police and Army disrupted the thanksgiving service everywhere.  11 persons were arrested inside the Catholic Church in Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, and at Mgbidi in Oru West in Imo State, five persons were arrested.”

    Security was tightened in Aba as member marked Biafra day yesterday. Security operatives, including policemen, were stationed at strategic places as the celebration held.

    Police patrol vans, including an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), was stationed in front of Christ the King Catholic Church Cathedral (CKC) on Asa road.

    Sources within the security agencies said they got intelligence that the group planned to celebrate at the CKC with a rally.

    But the presence of security officers seemed to have foiled the celebration.

    Authorities of MASSOB could not be reached for comments on the aborted celebration.

    Roadside markets held and residents went about their businesses without harassment.

    Commissioner of Police Joshiak Habila said they took such measures to guarantee the safety of Aba and its residents.

    Unconfirmed reports, however, said the group, having got intelligence about the police presence, rescheduled the celebration to an interior part of the town.

  • MASSOB demands members’ release

    MASSOB demands members’ release

    •Police arrest 156 suspects in Delta•No going back on Biafra, Uwazuruike insists

    Leaders of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Southsouth zone, have demanded the release of their members who were arrested when the police raided Chief Ralph Uwazuruike’s home at Owerri.

    Rising from an emergency meeting in Obigbo, Obigbo local government area of Rivers State, MASSOB leaders, led by the regional administrator, Commander Obinna Nwosu, demanded the release of their members.

    Nwosu said they converged in Port Harcourt to show solidarity with their leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, and to demand the release of those arrested.

    He said MASSOB, as a peaceful organisation recognised worldwide, would not resort to self-help by causing problems, but would not accept any intimidation and harassment against its members.

    He accused the police of chasing shadows by arresting the innocent members, adding that the police should instead, channel their efforts towards arresting criminals that have taken over the state.

    His words: “We have accepted Biafra as our own nation and that is why MASSOB members no longer talk in fear. The arrest of our members in Imo State did not go down well with us and we demand the unconditional release of those arrested.

    “The Federal government cannot intimidate us; we have been on this struggle for years and as far as we are concerned, the arrest is politically-motivated. But one thing is certain; no government will end the Biafra struggle.”

    But the Delta State Police Command said it arrested 156 persons suspected to be members of the Movement.

    Police spokesman Celestina Kalu said 11 of the suspects were being held for  investigations while others, including women and children, were warned and released.

    She said those detained  were the ring leaders and they would be prosecuted at the end of investigations.

    Kalu said the suspects were arrested while they held their meeting at Oneh Primary School in Asaba.

    Items recovered from the group included a CD plate, group photograph of members and the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

    Others were Biafra National Anthem, World latest vote on Biafra, a Sony camera and a book, Agueleri: The pivot of the Bani-Israil in Nigeria.

    The spokesman said anyone who contravenes the law would face the wrath of the law.

    Leader of the Movement, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has reported at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Imo State police command.

    He was taken to the Zone 9 Headquarters in Umuahia after a closed-door meeting with the police Commissioner, Taiwo Lakanu.

    Police spokesman Andrew Enwerem said Uwazuruike was summoned over the group’s activities.

    “MASSOB and its activities are outlawed and his invitation was not unconnected to that. Yes he reported at the command’s headquarters this morning (yesterday) and he was moved to see the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 9,” Enwerem said.

    But Uwazuruike, briefing reporters after his release insisted that “there is no going back on the struggle for Biafra”.

    “I was not at home on Saturday when I got a call that policemen have invaded my home. In the morning, I got a letter from the Commissioner of Police and when I reported, he told me he does not want MASSOB but I told him he cannot stop me; there is no going back on Biafra and I was taken to Umuahia to see the AIG.

    “At Umuahia, the AIG vouched for my non-violent stance on the struggle for Biafra. Anyone who does not want MASSOB should leave Igbo land,” Uwazuruike said.

    He however distanced his group from the activities of other splinter groups that have engaged in criminal activities, saying “no MASSOB man has ever been caught for stealing, kidnapping, raping and other crimes. We are non- violent but no one can stop Biafra.”

  • MASSOB: Cost of self-determination call

    MASSOB: Cost of self-determination call

    Every May 30, the memory of the struggle for an independent Biafra Republic comes alive. The day is symbolic to the Igbo, especially members of the separatist group, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

    The day is often characterised by sober reflection on the ordeal of the Biafran war veterans, dead and alive, during the Nigerian Civil War and the place of the Igbo, 47 years after the war.

    This year’s event, which marked the 47th anniversary of the Biafran struggle, was no different. It came at a cost: 68 members of the group were arrested after their gathering.

    Thousands of MASSOB members and aged Biafra war veterans had observed the day in Owerri, the Imo State capital, at the home of the leader of the Movement, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.

    As early as 6.30am on the fateful day, members of the movement, majorly youths and dressed in Biafra military camouflage and other insignia, stormed the Imo capital, chanting pro-Biafra songs.

    It was indeed a sight to behold as the MASSOB members waved the Biafra flag and performed military drills, wearing their starched uniforms, which bore their ranks.

    The atmosphere at the  Odumegwu Ojukwu Centre, which was a stone’s throw from the home of the MASSOB leader was charged as the youths demanded the sovereign state of Biafra, especially after listening to the chilling experiences of the war veterans.

    The event was finally flagged off with the entrance of the revered Uwazuruike and the special guest and leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF), Alhaji Asari Dokubo and other dignitaries to the venue.

    Addressing the crowd, Uwazuruike said that the outcome of the last Presidential election between President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan justified MASSOB’s renewed resolve for self-determination.

    He noted that the election followed the pattern of the Biafra-Nigeria Civil war, adding that it “highlighted the fact that the civil war had not really ended”.

    Uwazuruike who justified the emergence of the Biafra project said that the struggle has given Ndigbo a sense of hope and anticipation, noting that, it has not only brought them together but has defined them as a people.

    The MASSOB leader paid glowing tributes to the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu for conceiving the Biafra project which he said had formed the outlook of the identity of the Igbo over the years but regretted that Ndigbo have continued to suffer massacre, deprivations and marginalisation in the nation’s scheme of things.

    He said: “The seed of discord sown among us and our brothers by our detractors cost us our first attempt at independence. It brought distrust between us and our brothers and our detractors used the distrust existing between us to manipulate us.

    “Our detractors used all sorts of gimmicks to cause enmity between us to exploit us, they used divide and rule tactics to deny us our common wealth”.

    Also speaking at the event, Dokubo said that he was in Owerri to attend the commemoration of the declaration of Biafra to show solidarity with the MASSOB leader because Niger Delta people are also fighting for self-determination.

    He described MASSOB and his group “as partners in progress who are moving in the same direction to arrive at a common destination as one people and one nation”.

    The separatist leader also dismissed the National Conference organized by the immediate Jonathan led Federal Government, insisting that the exercise  did not represent the views of the Niger Delta region that is yearning for a referendum.

    He said, “let us be allowed to have a referendum. We have the right to hold a referendum on where we want to go. Those who make peaceful change impossible make violence inevitable”.Some of the members said that they would continue to celebrate the day till Biafra becomes an independent nation. ”Every May 30 is Biafra day we are here to join other members to celebrate the day, and I believe that one day Biafra will be free and that is what we are praying for”.

    One of the members, Jude Emeka, said that, “are celebrating and at the same time praying that God will grant Ndigbo their wish of being free from the wickedness, oppression, marginalization, and  the injustice that is being meted out to the Igbo by the Nigerian government.

    He said, “what we do every year is to celebrate the birth of the Republic of Biafra and by so doing we are keeping hope alive that very soon we shall be free from all the marginalization, wickedness, injustice and oppression from the leaders of Nigeria. We will not stop till we realize our dream.

    “It is also a day to honour our late leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and other fallen heroes who died in the struggle to free Ndigbo from the wickedness of Nigerian leaders and what we believe is that their sacrifices will never be in vain”.

    Meanwhile the Imo State Police Command has commenced a massive clampdown on members of the Movement for alleged breach of public peace during the day of the celebration.

    The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austine Evbakhavbokun, who briefed journalists, disclosed that 68 members of the group, were arrested and 62 have been charged to Court for disrupting public peace and being in possession of Biafra insignias, including Biafran flags, Identity Cards and Military camouflage.

    He warned that the police will not fold its hands while members of an outlawed group, undermine the sovereignty of the nation, adding that, “we cannot have two flags in one nation. Nigeria is a sovereign nation and the sovereignty will be jealously guided”.

    He said, “On Saturday we had movement of MASSOB members in the State they disrupted public peace in Owerri in the name of celebrating Biafra Day. We will not allow the existence of any illegal group and henceforth we are going to descend on them massively”.

    Those arrested include Mr. Sunday Chigbo, Ebere Basil, Nchita Boniface, Okeke Francis Kelechi, Martin Ozodikere, John Nkemjeme and Chijiokr Nhuegwu.

    Others were Charles Chukwunedom, Emeka Obi, Chukwudi Otukegwu, Goddey Igbokwe, Ngobidi Livinus and Emmanuel Ugwuekemba, among others.

     

  • MASSOB: we’ll reclaim people’s mandate

    MASSOB: we’ll reclaim people’s mandate

    THE ethnic militia group, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), has vowed to liberate Abia State from the claws of an impending hegemony.

    The pan-Biafran group yesterday said the result of the governorship election was unacceptable to it and so, must be salvaged to reflect the true wishes of the people.

    A leader of the group, Ndubuisi Igwekani, said what happened in Abia State was not an election because while the people voted for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Dr. Alex Otti, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu got the votes.

    “The PDP, in collusion with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), denied the people what they wished.

    “What happened in Abia was not an election but a fraud. We (MASSOB) were there as representatives of our people. When we arrived in Abia, the mood of the people was that they want change, they came out and they voted for change.

    “But the man at the helm of affairs wants to institute a family hegemony by rigging the election; he wants his nephew to be the governor and his son to be the speaker.

    “He will not succeed. The will of Abians must come to pass. INEC and the election tribunals should do something to save the people.

    “As we observed during the election, every corner in Abia State, people came out to effect change by voting for APGA. For God’s sake the people should be allowed to have the leader they chose.

    “We are pleading with the powers that be, to come to the aid of Abians and allow their will to prevail,” Igwekani said.

  • New leader for MASSOB soon

    The crack in the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is getting wider as members of the pan-Biafra group have resolved to get a new leader to pilot their affairs. The new leader would be known at the burial of 69 members of the movement in Enugu.

    A member of the MASSOB interim administration, Comrade Ndubuisi Igwekani (aka) Agu Biafra told Southeast Report that the fallen members were those killed during peaceful protests across “Biafran territories” and deposited in mortuaries in Enugu and Onitsha.

    Igwekani said the Ralph Uwazuruike leadership has lost focus and no longer pursues the aspirations of what he called Biafrans and the Biafran Dream. He emphatically stated that “Ralph is no longer in control of MASSOB”.

    While insisting that MASSOB was not factionalised, Igwekani stressed that “what we are saying is that those of us that hold MASSOB believe that the leadership of Ralph Uwazuruike has disappointed the Biafran struggle.”

    Continuing, he said: “He has used the organisation to enrich himself and using our children the way he likes. He has diverted the resources which would have been used to advance the struggle. Our elders refused to understand initially, but by the special grace of God, many people have come to understand that he cannot continue to lead us.

    “This is a man who even claimed that he is richer than the people that control the resources of the states. It is during the burial of these fallen MASSOB heroes that you people will see the new face of MASSOB.

    “The fact is that MASSOB is a movement that focuses on giving the Igbo the identity of Biafra. So, if we are not Nigerians and we are Biafrans, how can Uwazuruike now mobilise people and say “Jega must go?” Jega is not a Biafran. He is a Nigerian coordinating the Nigerian elections.

    “It is for his selfish gains that he held the Jega-must-go march. In a week or two, we will know where we are heading to. We will give our people a new direction on what to do. We are not in support of our children roaming the streets.

    “What we are after now is to ensure that after the election, no single Igbo man will be killed neither would their property be destroyed, especially in the North. We know we are always the target. We are now sending signal that any state that allows its people to kill any Igbo man or destroy his property after the elections, we will hold that state to ransom.

    “We will mobilise all our security forces to that state to protect our property. Enough is enough.”

    On their preference between Jonathan and Buhari, Igwekani retorted: “We do not want to go into politics. But I can tell you that the devil we know is better than the angel we don’t know. We can’t come to the public to politicise issues. Every nation knows the best for them. Biafrans know the best for them. We have already communicated to our people on what to do. We have done our underground work and when the election comes, our votes will speak.”

    Igwekani, who represented MASSOB at a recent meeting of the Southeast professional group, Concerned Nigerian Professionals and Entrepreneurs Forum held in Enugu said they collectively agreed to send people to other states and deliver the resolutions reached at the meeting.

    “I was there as a representative of MASSOB. I was also invited to speak. What we are saying is that the Igbo living in other parts of Nigeria should send their wives and children home while they remain wherever they are to protect their property and also cast their votes.”

  • MASSOB warns Igbo against being used

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has warned Ndigbo to be wary of politicians who will use and dump them after the general elections.

    Southeastern states of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu recently hosted the two major presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dame Jonathan and Femi-Fani Kayode who, at a press conference in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, solicited support for the re-election of President Jonathan and his Vice, Namadi Sambo and other PDP candidates at the March and April polls.

    The group said they were advising Ndigbo against some politicians who had no agenda for them but who answer Igbo names and become their in-laws during elections only to revert to their native names after winning elections.

    MASSOB said such people should not be allowed to use their campaign of deceit to get the support of the people who they would later dump or relegate to political background after being elected or re-elected into office.

    MASSOB’s National Assistant Director for Information, Sunny Okereafor said in Aba that it was annoying that Nigerian politicians were at it again; crisscrossing the entire Southeast to canvass votes, even when they had not done “anything for the people of the zone in the past”.

    “Nigerian politicians are at it again; some of them are once more answering Igbo names and also claiming that they are our in-laws, wooing the people for their votes, but when they win the elections, they will revert to their native names, and abandon the people of the Southeast.

    “They have fooled Ndigbo for a long time and MASSOB will not allow them to continue to fool the people.”

    According to Okereafor, it is only in Nigeria that someone would spend years in office, loot public fund and yet walks freely on the streets without being compelled to account for his actions while in office. When he is leaving office, he would force on the people, his or her preferred candidate even when it is against the wishes of the people.

    “It is in Nigeria that someone will occupy political position for four or eight years without tangible proof of achievement. Yet he will anoint a successor and force him on the people even when they refuse to accept such a person as their leader. This they do to help them cover their acts while they (outgoing public servants) were in power. This is a criminal act,” he said.

    While warning that Nigeria was at a crossroads, the MASSOB chieftain stated that the group would continue to use a non-violence means in pursuant of its campaigns for the emancipation of the people and the realisation of an independent state of Biafra.

  • MASSOB: A revolution betrayed

    The reported MASSOB anti-Jega demonstrations in key towns across the five southeast states on Friday March 13, 2015, left a sour taste in the mouth.

    Ten days before the demonstrations MASSOB leader Barr. Ralph Uwazuruikehad called on INEC Chairman  Professor  Attahiru Jega to resign. What has happened to MASSOB? Has Uwazuruike of late allowed rascals and ragamuffins in MASSOB to drive the movement? This action of MASSOB defies logic. It is curious theatre of the absurd.

    In their desperate effort to find an excuse for their quixotic action, MASSOB said that they “are not hiding the fact that we are supporting Jonathan because of the honour he accorded our leader, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu”. The honour they were referring to was Jonathan’s personal attendance in Nnewi at the burial of Ojukwu. The group started on a wrong premise when they claimed that Ojukwu was their leader. The fact is that Ojukwu was never the leader of MASSOB and he never claimed to be so. Infact he described MASSOB as “Biafra of the mind” Uwazuruike is clearly and unmistakably the leader of MASSOB.

    It is unfortunate that a group of zealous young Igbo (sic “Biafra”) irredentists who have assigned to themselves the responsibility of championing total separation from Nigeria in preference for a Biafran State, suddenly found it convenient to dabble into the affairs of Nigeria such as election matters! One had expected, as they are won’t to do, that they should be calling on all Igbos to boycott the election since Igbos (as they claim) are not Nigerians but Biafrans! This act of irresponsible and incomprehensible youthful exuberance is totally antithetical to the antecedent of this self-appointed freedom fighters under the banner of Movement for the Actualisation of the sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

    This ill-advised action raises a number of issues and questions. First is the movement now being compromised for bread-and butter-food-on-the-table? Or have some overzealous empty headed charlatans taken over the movement? MASSOB said it endorsed President Jonathanfor the presidential election ostensibly on behalf of Ndigbo and went on to call on Ndigbo to vote Jonathan. It claimed that it was acting in the best interest of Ndigbo. Haba-a!

    Here again MASSOB goofed. Since when has it become the concern of MASSOB to champion the interest of Ndigbo through collaboration with the Federal Government which MASSOB sees as the principal malefactor, the monster that stands in-between them and their actualisation of sovereign Biafra? This posturing is ridiculous and childish in the extreme.

    At first, one thought that a splinter group was springing up within MASSOB. But when the leader himself started to sing the same song, one was compelled to believe that something was wrong somewhere. The question that immediately came to mind was: Could Uwazuruike, a seasoned lawyer, be part of this charade? How could a man who had all along been championing a separatist cause suddenly wake up and shoot himself on the foot? Or is he bewitched? By pitching his tent with the head of state of the same country which Uwazuruike and his MASSOB say is the enemy of their people, the man and his MASSOB have committed hara-kiri! They have put logic upside down. Their action defies rhyme and reason.

    Let us flash back on the antecedents of MASSOB. On the day Uwazuruike hoisted the Biafra flag and proclaimed the Republic of Baifra at Aba, 21st May, 2000, he clearly stated the goal of MASSOB thus: “Our mission is sovereign Biafra. Our duty is to ensure that the struggle does not die”. Unknown to the Nigerian authorities, MASSOB was using a weapon more devastating than guns – peaceful resistance- war by other means. Government searched for evidence of violence-guns, bombs, grenades, knives, ammunition and other offensive weapons – and found none. Government then thought that MASSOB must be a hoax.

    Slowly but steadily, MASSOB started to draw attention of Nigeria with its “sit-at-home order” to Ndigbo wherever they lived in Nigeria. The response by Ndigbo was spontaneous. The result was that business and commercial activities were paralysed across the country on the first and subsequent days of the sit-at-home order. Government was compelled to take note and series of arrests, detentions, court actions and even extrajudicial killings of MASSOB members became the order of the day. Uwazuruike himself became regular victim of police and DSS detention. Inspite of all this MASSOB continued to forge ahead. At one time they tried to stop Ndigbo from participating in national census, arguing that Ndigbo are not part of Nigeria! They are Biafrans! The rest of the story is now history.

    What has really “transformed” MASSOB to the extent of being so much concerned with  Nigeria’s affair as to bother about how Nigerian election is conducted, and to the extent of staging demonstrations across Igbo land?

    It may be painful, but one is compelled to draw one of two conclusions about MASSOB. It is either MASSOB has been bought over by forces working for Jonathan or the “revolution” has lost its steam and bearing. According to MASSOB, their endorsement of Jonathan is in appreciation of his showing up at Ojukwu’s burial. These boys must be told that Ndigbo have long passed the stage of being teased and caricatured by mere tokenism or symbolism such as attendance at burials. They should be told that what Ndigbo want in Nigeria today, as always, is justice and equity in an environment that guarantees them security of life and properly – no more no less.

    By this careless and badly thought out action, MASSOB has robed itself of whatever semblance of sympathy they hitherto might have enjoyed among some Igbos. Uwazuruike should take note that he has himself to blame if he turns his MASSOB into “food is ready” organisation. The spirit of MASSOB died the day it decided to wade into the murky waters of Nigerian politics. By so doing, MASSOB has betrayed its own “revolution” as a separatist movement.

    •Asogwa, a lawyer and social commentator, sent this piece from Enugu

     

  • MASSOB blasts Uwazuruike

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has slammed its leader, Chief Raph Uwazuruike, for the woes faced by the group, describing him as a selfish person.

    MASSOB, which has been in crisis for the last one year, urged Ndigbo to vote wisely.

    In a communiqué yesterday after its Executive Council meeting at Okwe in Imo State, signed by the Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, MASSOB said it picked candidates for the National Assembly elections in the Southeast.

    It said the group endorsed the son of former leader of Ndigbo, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Jnr), candidate for the Nnewi North/South and Ekwusigo  seat on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    Others included Chief Uche Onyeaguocha (Owerri senatorial seat), on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North, PPA); Chief Victor Umeh (Anambra Central, APGA); Chief Athan Nneji Achonu (Okigwe zone, PDP); Andy Ubah (Anambra South, PDP); Ozo Nwabueze Okafor (Enugu East, APGA);

    Also picked were Senator Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West, PDP); Abia State Governor Theodore Orji (Abia Central, PDP); Chief Sam Egwu (Ebonyi North, PDP); ThankGod Ezeani (Orlu Zone, APGA) and Princess Stella Oduah (Anambra North, PDP).

    The group listed Anambra House of Assembly Speaker Princess Chinwe Nwaebili (Ogbaru Federal Constituency, APGA); Tobias Okechukwu (Awgu-Aniri, Oji River Federal Constituency, PDP); Prince Emeka Mamah (Udenu/Igboeze North Federal Constituency, APGA) and Ofochukwu Egbo (Enugu North/South Federal Constituency, APGA).

    Although Uwazuruike boycotted the meeting, it was attended by regional administrators, state zonal leaders, foundation members and senior officers of MASSOB.

    The body said the political leadership of Ndigbo had waned, adding that it wanted strong-willed Igbo sons and daughters to represent the zone in the National Assembly.

  • MASSOB Quixote

    Hardball is not the only one puzzled about the latest road show in town, in this highly charged season of electoral distemper.

    The last time Hardball checked, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) crusade was stark: Nigeria was hell on earth, it must be scorned; and Biafra is utopia, haven and heaven combined; so every MASSOB patriot, led by the brave Ralph Uwazurike, must venerate it.

    Why, even in Dakar, Senegal, where the current African Youth Championship (AYC) is on, and Nigeria had just qualified for the semi-final, courtesy of a 2-2 draw with Cote d’Ivoire, live TV coverage of that match showed some braves lustily cheering the Nigerian boys but zealously waving the Biafra flag!  Were these MASSOB cadres?  Only God knows!

    So, MASSOB’s business is Biafra.  If Nigeria is ever mentioned, it is because it stubbornly stands between it and its Utopia.  Therefore, why must Biafra be concerned about elections into Babylonia — beg your pardon, Nigeria?

    That was the surprising spectacle in some South Eastern streets, late last week.  MASSOB embarked on a road show, howling and growling: Attahiru Jega, the chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must be sacked.  Ralph Nwazurike had proclaimed the fatwa (not unlike the Ayatollah in an Islamic theocratic state): Jega must go!  So, from the MASSOB hoi polloi: the master’s fatwa must stand!

    But what is MASSOB’s stake in all of these, beyond the Nwazurike fatwa, which, by the way, is based on nothing but partisan passion fired by mere political old wives’ tales ?  Well, some manage to confess: they were pressing themselves into service for President Goodluck Jonathan, whose body language, if not his party’s and fronts’ loud grumbling, want Jega out, at all cost.  So, since Jonathan helped give their late leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, a grand burial, they are inclined to help him get rid of Jega.

    Jega’s offence?  No one really knows, except wild charges that he had allegedly compromised with the opposition.  Further proofs?  First, the late delivery of permanent voter cards (PVCs) — already being addressed with the six-week election postponement.  Crusade to junk PVCs for temporary voter cards (TVC) — which makes no economic sense, since scarce resources had already been committed to it.

    Then the PDP furore over smart card readers to authenticate PVC, being an electronic pre-voting device to make voting more transparent.  But who would oppose that except a probable rigger of elections?  Those are Jega’s “crimes” — and those are the bases of the MASSOB anti-Jega road shows!

    So, even if MASSOB gets its Utopia of Biafra, would it push dubious causes over there as it is pushing in this anti-Jega crusade, of aiding and abetting putative election rigging?

    But if it is any consolation, MASSOB needs not be distressed.  Across the Niger, Fredrick Fasehun’s and Gani Adams’s Odu’a People’s Congress (OPC) are onto to a similar racket.  For a piece of oil pipeline protection contract, they would do the merry bidding of the extant powers-that-be, even if that means wilfully subverting the democratic order!

    MASSOB, OPC and their likes as presidential lobbies just shows the low company the president of the Federal Republic keeps — show me your friends, the saying goes, and I will tell you the sort of person you are!

    Hardball thinks presidential lobbies should be made of more stellar stuff — and MASSOB had better get serious, and quit playing the Don Quixote of useless causes!

  • MASSOB shuts down Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi

    •Says Jega must go

    •Faction disowns protesters

    Members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) on Friday marched round major streets in states in the South-East and South-South of the country, calling for the removal of INEC’s chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

    In Enugu, MASSOB members, displaying placards bearing various inscriptions and clad in navy blue uniform with the Biafran rising sun insignia, assembled at Edinburgh Road, New Layout, from where they ‎trooped to other major streets of the capital city.

    Some of the placards read: ‘Jega must go’; ‘Jega has compromised’; ‘No election with Jega on seat; ‘Jega is not impartial’ etc.

    The protesters were led by their Enugu zonal chairmen, Mrs. Augustina Ugwuoke, Ben Ekwunugo and E. Ilogu.

    In Ebonyi State, the police used tear gas to disperse MASSOB members who were on a peaceful protest in the state capital Abakaliki.

    Thousands of MASSOB members gathered at the Spera-in-Deo Junction Abakaliki and embarked on peaceful protest to call for Jega’s removal.

    Earlier, the Ebonyi North Zonal leader of the group, Gideon Iloke, said they were protesting against Prof. Jega, accusing him of having a Northern agenda and attending secrete meetings to install a Northern president.

    He, however, said MASSOB does not belong to any political party but was interested in the welfare of the Igbo race and the country in general.

    ‘’We are not members of PDP, APC, APGA or any other political party. But we believe in equity and justice and that is why we are protesting. Jonathan has done well and should be allowed to rule Nigeria again, especially if we consider the number of years the North has govern this country.”

    The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions during the protest which disrupted human and vehicular movements.

    The story was the same on the streets of Awka, Anambra State, where MASSOB members trooped out in large numbers to demand for the removal of the INEC boss.

    Activities around major streets in  the capital city were grounded, as MASSOB members, some of them wearing uniforms bearing the photograph of President Goodluck Jonathan, sang solidarity songs to register their protest.

    Speaking with newsmen, the zonal leader of MASSOB, Prince Jawey Okosi, described the INEC boss as a saboteur.

    He said MASSOB does not see Jega as an umpire that would be fair during the elections, having postponed the February 14th, date.

    Members of the group resident in Rivers State were not left out of the protest, threatening to boycott the election if Prof. Jega is not removed.

    The protesting members of the group marched round parts of the state, especially Oyibo and Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas (LGAs).

    They accused Prof. Jega of plans to support irregularity in the elections.

    The protesters, numbering over 500, walked from Mbano Camp in Oyibo through Oyibo Market /Afam junction, displaying placards and chanting solidarity songs.

    The march was orderly and peaceful, while men of the police force and SSS were on hand to maintain peace.

    Speaking to newsmen during the march at Oyibo South-East Zonal, the Administrator, Sunday Kalu expressed lack of confidence on the INEC boss, alleging plans by Jega to disenfranchise Ndigbo during the elections.

    MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike in a telephone chat told our correspondent accused the INEC of bias. He said: “We are organising the protest against Jega because he is biased and cannot conduct a credible election for Nigerians.

    “We know that he is in favour of APC and if allowed to conduct the elections, he will definitely favour the party, and when that happens, there will be crisis and people will die. The crisis will and can even lead to a war and we don’t want bloodshed.

    We are not hiding the fact that we are supporting Jonathan because of the burial he gave to our leader, Ojukwu, and therefore we are sure that if the election is free and fair, that Jonathan will win.

    But a twist was introduced into the story, with another group, claiming to be authentic members of MASSOB, describing the protesters as hirelings, who were allegedly assembled by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike to please his pay masters at Abuja.

    MASSOB national Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, also dissociated his group from yesterday’s protest march.

    In a terse statement he issued yesterday, Madu said: ‎”Today’s rally is against the interest of MASSOB, and as such diminishes the image and status of the organization.

    “Uwazuruike has so commercialized himself with his shameful and uncontrolled romance with the politician that he has suddenly become the political errand boy of Abuja.

    “Public protest for the removal of Jega is for civil right groups, non- governmental organizations and some sponsored groups, not MASSOB as a Biafran agitation group.

    “How can Uwazurike be so insensitive, callous and wicked against the relatives of members who died in active service while serving MASSOB. He does not console or sympathize with their family members, but has the money to hire people for this shameful protest rally. Uwazurike paid N500, 000 to each LGA to hire people for today’s rally with a communiqué written by him for submission to the press.”