Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Thursday accused the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Northern Elders Forum (NEF) of being behind Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to release detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, stating that Igbo will continue to demand for Kanu’s release.
In a statement issued in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Secretary-General of the Chidi Ibeh-led faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, noted that the creation of an additional state for the South East and Igbo presidency would boost the peace and sense of unity in the region and entire country.
He maintained that the ACF and NEF were behind President Buhari’s refusal to grant Nnamdi Kanu a political solution with the intent to disorganise and put the South East in disarray ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo uses this medium to notify President Buhari that state creation has been decided and will be presented to him through the official channels. Ndigbo has agreed that Aba State is the most viable state among others being proposed, based on the recommendation of the Ohanaeze Committee on State Creation,” the statement reads.
The group said Kanu’s trial would bring tension and violence to the South East, adding that the group had intimated Ndigbo that 2022 would be a tougher year than last year for the South East, but the natural forces would turn out to favour Ndigbo and make them triumph in the face of disaster.
“There is always a silver lining in every thunderstorm. There are opportunities in every crisis. Kanu’s detention will bring good tidings to the South East and prepare him as the next leader of the Igbo race,” the statement concluded.
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