Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has told President Muhammadu Buhari that his posthumous honour to late Bashorun MKO Abiola was aimed at wooing the people of the south-west to support him in next year’s presidential election.
It frowned at the President’s declaration of June 12 as democracy day as a mark of respect to Abiola.
In a statement issued in Abakalkiki, Ebonyi state capital by its leader Comrade Uchenna Madu, MASSOB said not that it was unhappy about honouring Abiola but that the honour coming few months to the general election was an indication that the honour was political.
The statement reads:
“The leadership of the Movement for The Actualization of The Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has frowned over the recent change of Nigeria’s democracy day from May 29th to June 12th as a mark of respect, honour and salutation to Aare Moshood K. Abiola (MKO).
“Though MASSOB received the news with consternation that President Mohammed Buhari has changed the May 29th Democracy Day to June the 12th to honour the fallen heroes of Oduduwa people, we condemned this sheer hypocritical gesture of the Islamic caliphate run by President Buhari and his Fulani kinsmen.
“It is not that MASSOB and the people of Biafra are not happy about the fact that Abiola is acknowledged. It is the cheap attempt to use his supreme sacrifice to score some unearned political points and corner subtle political favours for the caliphate.
“President Buhari was an active part of the General Sani Abacha administration that incarcerated Moshood K Abiola for several years. It is instructive that throughout that struggle, the voice of Buhari who at the time was already an elder statesman having ruled Nigeria as a Military Head of State and retired before that time was not heard on the issue. He was deathly silent on the grave travails and persecutions of Abiola.
“He found his voice when the General Sani Abacha administration made him Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and Abacha became his hero. The same Abacha had Abiola incarcerated for several years until his inglorious passing away on June 8, 1998. At no time did Buhari on record appeal to Abacha to release Moshood K Abiola from detention and accord him his due respect and mandate freely given to him by the electorate.
“It is on record that this same Buhari has been President for three years, he has celebrated May 29th Democracy Days four times. At no time did he deem it fit to even acknowledge Abiola as a hero of Nigeria’s democratic experience. Now one year to another general
election, ten days after honouring and observing the only Democracy Day he truly believes in and possibly his very last as President now wants to grant a gift to the Oduduwa people with some posthumous awards for their heroes in the Oduduwa land. MASSOB believes that
millions of Oduduwa people cannot be fooled .
“MASSOB wishes to remind the progressive-minded persons and true sons and daughters of Odua land that Ottoman Dan Fodio caliphate as presently run by President Mohammed Buhari and his Fulani kinsmen are real parasites that have no conscience in dealing with non Fulani’s. They have an agenda against the general interest of the nations that made up this geographical expression called Nigeria”.
.New Telegraph
