By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja
IGBO Elders Consultative Forum (IECF), also known as Ime-obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Friday pledged their allegiance to the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who they described as a “true unified.”
They also reiterated their call on President Muhammadu Bubari to release the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in the interest of peace in the country, especially the South East region.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Forum’s chairman and former Anambra governor, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, stated that an Obi presidency in 2023 will put an end to separatist agitations by different groups in the country.
Ezeife said: “We before now agreed in the Southern and Middle Belt Forum to call all the candidates from the southeast, 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 southeast who is everybody’s candidate.
“He is the true unifier in Nigeria because he is someone who will banish poverty, insecurity, and 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 Southeast elders were the ones who prevailed on the Labour Party Presidential candidate to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 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.
Ezeife warned that the planned 2023 general elections will have far reaching consequences on the peace, unity, stability and corporate existence of Nigeria.
“Hence, we appeal to all candidates, other political gladiators and their supporters to observe the rule of the game in their electioneering campaigns.
“The Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, should rise up to the challenge of providing level playing ground for all political parties and candidates as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“INEC should resist the alleged pressure by inordinate and unscrupulous politicians to compromise with the provisions of the extant electoral laws and conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2023 for the stability and corporate existence of Nigeria.”
On Kanu, the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum expressed disappointment over the decision of the Federal government to appeal against the court of appeal judgement which acquitted the IPOB leader.
The Igbo elders warned that the move by the government would have far reaching consequences on peace and security of the country.
They added: “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 on eight 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 these rare breeds of justices that delivered an objective, popular and historic judgement On Kanu.
“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 Forum argued 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, ASUU.
Ezeife also 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 Ohanaeze 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 birthday 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.”
While expressing worry over the heightened security challenges in the country, the Forum called on the Federal Government to rise up to the occasion and ensure the security of lives and property in the country.
Ezeife said, “The recent security alert by the US embassy and consequent evacuation of USA, United Kingdom and some other foreign nationals from Nigeria should serve as a wakeup call on the Federal Government to take urgent necessary actions to protect lives and properties of all the citizens in the country.”
On his part, the Secretary of the Forum, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, noted the reports of unprecedented crude oil thefts and other economic sabotaging activities in the country, describing them as worrisome and disturbing.
“We call on the Federal Government to take all necessary measures to address the all forms of economic brigandage in Nigeria. Government should take some proactive measures to arrest the unprecedented fall of the value of the naira,” he said.
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