Igbo leaders begin to backslide on Kanu

    Time was when most Igbo people admired the courage of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Umuahia –born leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra
, IPOB, and the director of Radio Biafra, for boldly speaking out in defense of his people, at a time it appeared that the Igbo elite had chickened out despite the glaring cases of marginalization of the race in Nigeria.
     Though the Igbo elite agreed with Kanu on most of the issues he had been highlighting and hammering on, especially the lopsidedness of appointments of the present federal government, it became a matter of who would bail the cat.
L-R Governor Rochas Okorocah of Imo State, Rt Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state Engr David Umahi of Ebonyi state, Chief Willie Obiano of Anambra state and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state during the South East Governors’ Forum meeting in Enugu at the weekend with Nnamdi Kanu and Ohaneze President,
Nnia Nwodo
Prominent Igbo people kept quiet on the seeming predicament of the Igbo, but ostensibly for fear of losing their position in Nigeria, they could only murmur and agree with Kanu in closed circles, but condemn him anytime their positions appeared threatened.
   Kanu became the darling of Igbo and non Igbo alike due to his courage, which explained why there was almost a unanimous call for his release from detention following his arrest by the Nigerian security operatives. It was also this admiration of his courage that informed the decision of the Igbo caucus in the Senate to agree to sign his bail conditions.
And since his release from detention, his popularity had soared such that he could be said to have been bestowed with the role of Commander –in –Chief of Igbo nation. He had been received and given audience by the Igbo elite since his return from detention and many people were already attributing the sudden call for the restructuring of Nigeria from even unexpected quarters, to Kanu’s activities although the calls preceded his travails. While his erstwhile contemporary, Chief Ralph Uwazurike was seen by many as a sellout as far as the issue of Biafra was concerned, Kanu’s agitation for Biafra Republic and call for a referendum to enable Igbo people determine their fate made him an instant hero.
At his Afaraukwu country home in Umuahia since his return, people who served in the Biafra Army, including the commissioned officers, salute him as their C in C, with happiness despite his age. The climax was his directive for the people living in the entire Biafra territory, as well as those residing in all parts of Nigeria to sit at home on May 30 in remembrance of all those who lost their lives during the Biafra War , as well as others killed during pro-Biafra rallies across the country.
    It could easily be concluded that it was the success of that sit –at-home that triggered the storm in the polity, which culminated in the decision of some Northern youths to give Igbo people residing in the Northern part of Nigeria, a quit notice that would expire on October 1, 2017. While various interest groups were still trying to manage the controversy generated by the quit notice, Kanu stirred the hornets’ nest when he directed that the scheduled November 18, 2017 governorship election in Anambra State should not hold, unless there was a referendum on Biafra before then. He was also quoted to have boasted that there would be no election in Biafra territory in 2019 unless the referendum was conducted before then.
To many people, Kanu’s decision to dabble into the Anambra election, with its tendency to undermine the country’s democracy, was the height of arrogating to himself, the powers he does not have. First to take on Kanu on his pronouncement that election would not hold in Anambra State this year, was the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state. In a letter to Kanu, which was signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ifeatu Obiokoye, APGA described the call as irresponsible and devoid of intellectual focus.
    Insisting that Kanu had no authority to speak for the Igbo of the South-East, a situation he had enjoyed up till now, APGA acknowledged him as the leader of IPOB, but explained that the Biafra concept was a metaphor for the demand for equity and fair play in the Nigeria state and not a separatist movement.
In clear terms, APGA told Nnamdi Kanu: “The call for a boycott of elections in the South-East, beginning with the governorship polls scheduled for November 18, 2017 in Anambra is irresponsible and totally devoid of any focus. You must appreciate that for different logical reasons and perception, the Biafra concept has attracted favourable comments among our people, ostensibly borne out of the marginalization of Ndigbo in the Nigerian state.
“The youths of the East are agitating for Biafra, while the Arewa youths are equally restive; the same goes for Níger Delta youths and youths from Oduduwa states. In this popular agitation for Biafra, Ndigbo have not instituted a separatist movement or a terrorist gang as it were.”
Even as APGA said that it stood for restructuring and implementation of the 2014 National Conference resolutions as a sure way to peaceful co-existence among ethnic nationalities and for dousing tension in Nigeria, it urged Kanu not to be carried away by the success of the May 30 sit-at-home call, which was attributable to many reasons, including fear.
The party also reminded Nnamdi Kanu that the right to vote and be voted for was a universally declared right under the United Nations Charter of People’s and Citizenship Right, and in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), advising the IPOB leader to drop his “emperor” perception of himself “and humble yourself to the true leadership of Ndigbo for a proper and better articulation of the Biafra struggle.”
Barely 48 hours after the APGA bombshell on Kanu, the entire leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization stormed Awka, the Anambra State capital and drove straight to the Anambra State House of Assembly where its President General, Chief Nnia Nwodo addressed the 30-member legislature on the threat given by the IPOB leader.
Nwodo, who looked visibly worried while addressing the lawmakers, warned leaders of groups championing self rule for the Igbo nation not to arrogate to themselves the supreme leadership of Igboland . While acknowledging the obvious fact that Ndigbo were suffering marginalization in the affairs of the country, he abundantly made it clear that Igbo was still part and parcel of Nigeria, advising that in seeking mitigation of the injustices being meted to Ndigbo, civilized approach should be adopted.
Lashing out at the IPOB leader for making what he called unguarded utterances that Anambra State governorship election would not hold, Nwodo said such utterance had already drawn the attention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) who, he stated, had deployed more police personnel to patrol Anambra State, with its attendant consequences. He also reminded Kanu that his utterance had unfortunately breached the undertaking he took before him (Nwodo) when he was released from detention, warning him that the Igbo nation does not need the unnecessary heat he was putting in the polity.