The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has reacted to the decision of the Indigenous People of Biafra to declared a one-week sit-at-home in the South East from November 5, 2021.
The group gave stated its position in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro.
In the statement on Sunday, Isiguzoro said the order will cause the group to lose Igbo’s support and also give the All Progressives Congress the upper hand in the Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 6.
It said the decision will, ultimately, hurt the Igbos most.
The statement said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has deciphered that any declaration that unleashes untold hardship, the collapse of commercial and industrial activities, a boycott of Anambra elections, and interrupts the academic calendar in South-Eastern states is viewed as nonsensical, absurd, and anti-Igbo agenda for the enemies’ amusement.
“You can’t enslave Ndigbo for one week without backlash from them, it’s time for Igbo to rise to the occasion and end being trampled with orders from overseas by those without any investments in the South-East.
“IPOB should discern that there have been self-determination struggles in Africa, before now, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail, never in the annals of the history of the movement against Apartheid, was starvation, anguish, and catastrophe unleashed on Black South Africans by ANC, it’s an impulsive and reckless imperilment against Igbo to order them to observe one-week sit-at-home when it’s obvious that Nnamdi Kanu will not be released without the approval of courts.
“Secondly had IPOB declined to learn from the blunders and mistakes of former MASSOB leader Ralph Uwazurike on the boycott of population census of 2001 which made Igbo the majority-minority in Nigeria, attempts to boycott Anambra elections evidently will favour APC to win Anambra elections. IPOB should revisit and nullify the one-week sit-at-home or they will likely lose the support of Igbo henceforth, Ndigbo must participate in Anambra and nothing should stop it.
“Ndigbo should ask anyone enforcing the one-week sit-at-home, if they know the plight of common people who are street vendors on perishable goods, artisans, motorists, market traders, furthermore Ndigbo should check out the investments of those calling for one-week sit-at-home, if proponents of the sit-at-home don’t have any visible investments in the South-East, then it’s time for Igbo to retreat from observation of the sit-at-home and defer it from henceforth.
“We call for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu since the Federal Government had refused to declare bandit terrorist.”
