By Nwafor Okafor
The Indigenous People of Biafra has warned a former Governor of Kano State and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to stop linking it with Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party( LP) and a former governor of Anambra State.
The group stated this in a statement on Tuesday circulated to journalists by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful.
Stating that IPOB had no association with any Nigerian politician howsoever, the group asked Kwankwaso to face his business and stop calling its name for any reason any more henceforth.
The group said Obi was neither its member nor was IPOB interested in his (Obi’s) 2023 presidential bid.
The group said,”The global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU wish to advise the former Governor Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso not to involve IPOB into their selection process they call election in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian politicians generally and Kwankwaso in particular should desist from linking IPOB with Peter Obi, his political ambition and campaign, Peter Obi is not an IPOB member, never supported our agitation for freedom at any time because he pursues a totally different goal form that of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). We have no interest in the Nigerian morally decadent and fantastically corrupt political system and landscape.
“If Kwankwaso is threatened by Labour party and Peter Obi’s teeming support by the creative and talented but downtrodden, neglected, deceived, deprived, killed (#Endsars) Nigerian youths from even the North which your generation do not have any good intentions for, then he should go forward and settle his differences and stop linking IPOB to their problem.
“IPOB is not interested in the worthless politics you play in Nigeria, we don’t regard such daylight rubbery, fraud, manipulation and selection as election. May be there is something Kwankwaso is not telling the world. Instead of saying the truth that because he is fulani with the (born to rule mentality) he cannot play the second fiddle to a Southern Christian presidential candidate, he has the temerity to associate our hallowed liberation movement with the shameless mucky waters of the Zoo politics.
“IPOB is not concerned with the waves of this election, we have never asked for nor say anything contrary to our goal and demand, what we need is referendum and referendum we must have. There are no middle ways for us as a people as far as our liberty and freedom is concerned. There is therefore nothing anybody can do to change our resolve towards our stated goal which is the restoration of Biafra.
‘If there is a region to avoid due to criminality with terrorism it is the Northern Nigeria which sponsors several terrorist groups as joint venture partners, recycles them in the military and ministries, you should feel non – Northerners pulses when they helplessly tag along with you guys to ascertain the sensitivity of their irritations and pounding of hearts in silent prayers for safety.
“IPOB is a disciplined movement and we do not speak from both sides of the mouth. Our singular objective is to extricate our people from the debilitating environment that prevents Biafrans from attaining our fullest potential as human beings, exit from the contraption called Nigeria and be able to determine our fate through putting to use our intrinsic endownments and ingenuity in an enabling environment in a free and Independent Biafran Nation.
The group added, “Peter Obi is not a member of IPOB and he is neither agitating or in support of our Self Determination struggle. Why associate him with IPOB’s struggle for freedom? IPOB does not know who Peter Obi is going by our biodata bank. Our demand is our inalienable rights to self determination and this we seek through a universally recognised and accepted political process called *REFERENDUM* as stipulated by the United Nations Charter.
“IPOB wish to use this medium and opportunity to warn every politician in Nigeria to desist from linking IPOB with their politics and selection process because we are not politicians and have no common interest. We are freedom fighters.”
