BEVERLY HILLS, August 23, (THEWILL) – The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, says President Muhammadu Buhari is a hypocrite for rejecting the demand of Igbo to secede from Nigeria despite supporting the break away of Western Sahara from Morocco and the self-determination struggle of Palestinians.
It wondered why the Nigerian leader would be against a sovereign state of Biafra while at the same time campaigning for self-determination for Palestine and Western Sahara.
The secessionist group also told the President to stop saying that a private discussion he had with the late Igbo war lord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu at his Daura home in 2003, has put paid to the issue of Nigeria’s indivisibility.
Reacting to Monday’s nationwide broadcast where the President insinuated that in his meeting with Ojukwu in 2003 the late Ikemba of Nnewi had said he (Ojukwu) would want Nigeria to remain as one, IPOB said Buhari should face the present reality and stop delving into what the group called unsubstantiated history and name dropping.
The group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement issued in Awka, Anambra State on Tuesday, described Buhari’s claim as comical and unfounded.
According to the statement, “Interestingly enough, there is a well-circulated video of President Buhari addressing the 70th summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he stated unequivocally that no nation, no matter how small, should be denied the right to self-determination.
“Buhari in his characteristic hypocrisy failed to mention the fact that he is a staunch campaigner for self-determination for Palestine and Western Sahara. This same Buhari is the major … and backer of Western Sahara campaign to break away from Morocco.
“The question that must be answered is why it is possible for Buhari to champion the cause of self-determination for Muslims in Israel and Morocco but not so for Biafrans who are Judeo-Christians in the British-created Nigeria?”
The group added, “During his uninspiring nationwide broadcast littered with dictatorial proclamations, the only take away point in the entire turgid show of shame is that Nigeria must remain one; primarily because the dominant cabal which he represents does not want to lose their stranglehold on the finances of Nigeria.
“His hypocritical threat to deal with IPOB members, who are legitimately going about their self-determination efforts without recourse to violence, is indicative of his natural hatred for Christians and indigenous ethnic groups that make up Biafra. It is unfortunate that some people in this mere geographical expression called Nigeria are yet to understand that Biafra is an issue that is bigger than any man.
“We find it laughable that Major General Muhammadu Buhari will embark on the futile journey of deceiving the general public about his brief encounter with Ojukwu in 2003.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and other government functionaries, especially politicians, should stop deceiving themselves about the true nature of the raging Biafran agitation because they cannot provide any incontrovertible proof or verifiable evidence where the agreement was made between Buhari and Chief Ojukwu to keep Nigeria one. And they should stop calling Ojukwu’s name.”
