Confusion now reigns in the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) organisation sequel to its protest in the South East and South South; and even in the original agitation body, there is a top down split.
That is happening at a time the Supreme Council of IPOB says it has nothing to do with the activities of the Direcor of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Also, a faction in the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is poised to sack Ralph Uwazurike as leader.
This is against the backdrop of Uwazurike’s submission that the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, does not have the support of MASSOB.
The Supreme Council of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has also dropped Kanu from its membership because “the manner” in which he goes about his activities “is not acceptable.”
The faction against Uwazurike, midwifed by MASSOB Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, met in Owerri and passed a vote of no confidence in him, describing him as a sell out.
It announced alliance with the IPOB, which owns Radio Biafra, insisting that the arrest of Kanu and its members who took part in the protest on Tuesday, October 20 is tyranny by the federal government.
The group has petitioned the United Nations alleging police brutality and high handedness against the fundamental human rights of its members to express their views.
Madu said Uwazurike has deviated from the Biafran struggle, shown by his signing an agreement on Nigeria’s unity on September 2013 which resulted in his campaign for former President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election and his factional MASSOB protest against former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Atahiru Jega.
Madu confirmed that MASSOB would hold a general election next month where “our new leader would be elected …. We cannot continue to salvage the selfish interest of one man in the name of Biafra’s emancipation.”
He condemned the arrest of IPOB members, but “we also accept the fact that it is part of nonviolent struggle. No agitation is complete without arrest, detention and prosecution.
“It shapes the minds of the activists drawing sympathy from internal and external observers.
“It also shows that Biafran agitation has become a factor of reckoning in Nigeria. These series of arrests will cause more diplomatic harm to Nigeria’s image than good. We demand for their immediate release.”
APC accuses Wike of funding IPOB
However, the divergence of opinion over the protest by IPOB in the South East and South South has exposed confusion in the zones about Biafra.
It also betrays a lack of knowledge of the population of the Igbo in Rivers and non Igbo Biafran supporters in the South South as some people claimed that the protest was staged by youths from Aba and Oyingbo.
Some condemned the overzealousness of the protesters who pulled down Nigerian flags on bank premises.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, issued a statement through his Media Assistant, Opunabo Inko-Taria, which condemned the protest.
”As the chief security officer of the state who swore to protect lives and property, I will not tolerate actions that will lead to the breakdown of law and order in the state,” he warned, adding that trouble makers will be prosecuted in court.
But the statement by Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), did not stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) from linking him with the protest.
State APC Publicity Secretary, Chris Fynebone, accused him of being behind the protest in Port Harcourt and of funding the group through his Media Assistant, Simeon Nwakaudu, who hails from Abia State.
”The APC would like to also confirm that it was this coordinated support to the groups allied to the so-called IPOB that is responsible for the unrelenting support for the Wike government by Radio Biafra,” Fynebone said.
PDP reacts
The PDP countered by accusing the APC of whipping up ethnic hatred, propaganda, and seeking to make political capital out of a spontaneous protest in five states in the South East and South South.
The PDP said: ”The Rivers State APC is a party built on lies and false propaganda, with men who deliberately misappropriated the state resources holding sway.
“Now that the party’s propaganda on the governorship election has failed at the tribunal following its inability to call relevant witnesses and tender relevant documents, it has resorted to infantile allegations to remain relevant in the political arena.
”It is rather unfortunate that the Rivers State APC has descended to an all-time low in its lack of decent political engagement by introducing ethnicity into their false allegations.
“The leadership of Rivers State APC deserves our sympathy and help as it is suffering from acute political rejection syndrome. It has been deserted by the people and the entire nation is aware that it is neck deep in corruption and subversive politics.”
Arrests
About 20 youths were arrested by the police but they claimed not to be Igbo and denied being part of the protest.
They said they were picked up at their trading posts or on their way to some places.
Supreme IPOB Council disowns Kanu
The Supreme Council of IPOB dissociated itself from the activities of Kanu.
Dozie Ikedife, former Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General, who is also a member of IPOB, told TheNiche that “[Kanu] was with us before he went astray and registered IPOB Ltd. We are asking, is this a business enterprise? Who are the shareholders?
“He has been fighting us ever since then and this is a man who said he will eliminate me and my family as well as relatives of members of the council.
“Also his use of provocative, inciting and abusive languages is unacceptable to us in IPOB. As I speak with you, he is not a member of IPOB and he has been using the name of our organisation wrongly.
“When you listen to his belligerent and provocative language you will agree with me that this is unbecoming and is against what we stand for.
“We have taken Nigeria to court and that is the approach we are taking and not what Nnamdi Kanu is doing. Despite our agitation you must obey the laws of the land and that is what it should be.
“But the manner in which Nnamdi Kanu is going about it is not acceptable to us and I must say again that he is not our member.”