Leaders of the South East geopolitical zone under the aegis
of Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, on Friday, declared their support for the
presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for the 2023 election.
They also called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to
release the leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, in the
interest of peace in Nigeria and the South East.
While describing Obi as the true ‘unifier’, the leaders of
IECF, also known as Ime-Obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said their decision to back the
former governor of Anambra State was devoid of tribal sentiment.
The chairman of IECF and former governor of Anambra State,
Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, stated these in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
According to him, Obi’s presidency would put an end to
separatist agitations by different groups in the country, especially that of
IPOB.
Ezeife said, “We, before now, agreed in the Southern and
Middle Belt Forum to call all the candidates from the South-East, interview
them and adopt one person. But that has been overtaken by events. If you look
at the candidates from A to Z, you find out that there is one from the
South-East who is everybody’s candidate.
“He is the true unifier in Nigeria because he is someone who
will banish poverty, banish insecurity, banish all the negatives associated
with Nigeria. That person is Peter Obi and he is the person whom all of us will
support.”
According to him, the South-East elders were the ones who
prevailed on Obi to leave the Peoples Democratic Party in May.
“If you look at the records, you’ll find out that the elders
in Abuja really worked hard to get him out as a candidate. We forced him to get
out of the PDP so that he can be a candidate for president. So the question of
even adopting him doesn’t arise as he is our trusted, God anointed candidate to
remake and recreate Nigeria. He will
make everybody happy.
“Obi will make Fulani belong to Nigeria and have a say. He
will ensure Yoruba don’t want to go and will also make Igbo and all groups stay
in Nigeria and have the country restructured to work,” he stated.
Speaking on the ordeals of Nnamdi Kanu, the elders in a
statement by Ezeife and Secretary of IECF, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, expressed
disappointment over the decision of the Federal Government to abide by the
Court of Appeal judgement which freed the IPOB leader.
The IECF said the move by the goverment would have
far-reaching consequences on peace and security challenges in the South-East
zone of the country.
The organization said, “The Federal Government appeal
against the Court of Appeal three-man unanimous judgement, which discharged
Mazi Nnamdi Kalu, is capable of aggravating the security challenges and peace
process initiatives in the South East, preventing the conduct of 2023 general
elections in the zone, as well as its ripple effects on the peace, unity,
stability and continued corporate existence of Nigeria.
“More worrisome is
the media reports that the courageous and patriotic three member Appeal Court
Panel that gave the laudable and landmark judgement of discharging Nnamdi Kalu
was all transferred outside the FCT, Abuja within four days of delivery the
judgement, which quashed the remaining seven of the original 15 count-charges
of the Federal Government against him. Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High
Court, Abuja had earlier quashed and discharged him of 8 of the 15 terrorism
charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
“The October 13 Federal Appeal Court unanimous ruling on
Nnamdi Kalu, which quashed all the remaining seven count charges against him
was not only historic, courageous and Patriotic, but also a naked confirmation
that the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man, especially in
Nigeria’s current dispensation where the executive arm of government is
selective and rascal on what laws to obey and the ones to disobey.
“We salute the courage and patriotism of this rare breed of
justices that delivered an objective, popular and historic judgement On Kanu.”
According to them, as “responsible Igbo Elders, who believe
in the peace, unity, stability and corporate existence of Nigeria, we appeal to
the Federal Government to withdraw its appeal against the unanimous ruling of
the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, and release our son, Kanu as
directed by the Court.”
The elders observed that even if the Federal Government
should appeal against the unanimous ruling of the Court of Appeal, the
government should first obey the ruling of its own court as was the case with
the recent Federal Industrial Court ruling against the industrial action of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The IECF said, “The Federal Government insisted that ASUU
must obey the courts first before its appeal case would be heard, and the
latter [ASUU] has complied. The Federal Government should obey the ruling of
the Court of Appeal and release Kanu for the say, of equity, justice and
fairness.
“Nigerians and the international community are living
witnesses to series of efforts and visits of the Igbo leaders, including the
high level Ohaneze worldwide delegation led by 94-year-old First Republic
Minister, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, which had appealed to President Muhammadu
Buhari, to explore political solution and release Nnamdi Kalu to our elders.
“Chief Amaechi had pleaded that Mr President should release
Mr Kanu to him as a special favour and birth day gift to him as an elder
statesman. Mr President refused and insisted that the judiciary should be
allowed to handle the matter.
“The Appeal Court not only quashed the terrorism charges
against Nnamdi Kalu, but also ruled that the Federal Government breached all
known local and International laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to
Nigeria, thereby making terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.
“We still appeal to Mr. President to rescind Government
appeal to the Supreme Court and release Nnamdi Kalu in honour of the memory of
late Chief Amaechi, who just passed on without witnessing the release of Mr
Kanu.
“We also appeal to ndi Igbo, both home and in Diaspora, to
remain calm and avoid any actions that would aggravate the already tensed
security challenges in the South East.
“We call on the international community, European Union,
USA, China, Russia, United Kingdom, and other progressive and democratic
organisations and individuals to prevail on the Federal Government to obey the
court judgement, and release Nnamdi Kanu, whose health conditions, we learnt,
have deteriorated terribly.”
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