The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on Wednesday explained that releasing Nnamdi Kanu would not be a favour done to Ndigbo, but a way of saving President Buhari’s government. The group reacted to the comments by the Northern leadership, especially the Arewa Consultative Forum and the militant wing of the Northern Elders Forum, the Coalition of Northern Groups.
Ohaneze, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzor, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki warned northern groups to desist from fanning the embers of disunity that are threatening the corporate existence of the country and allow President Muhammadu Buhari to do his job and get Nnamdi Kanu released.
The statement reads; “The unity of the country is superior to all arguments that the ACF and CNG summed up as to why Buhari should allow Kanu to face his trial in court and possibly jail him if found guilty of the alleged charges against him before considering granting of Presidential Pardon and Amnesty to him. “ It’s absurd and nonsensical for the Northern leadership to resort to pettiness on all issues concerning the southeast, especially when it’s in the best interests of the country and her survival.
“It is the prerogative of the Presidency to either choose from actions that will lead to the disintegration of the country or retreat from the promotion of nepotism which was responsible for the actions of IPOB to respond to the areas of the inadequacies of the federal government especially in handling the activities of killer herdsmen in the southeast”.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum has stirred a hornets’ nest and, it will reap from the benefits of the disintegration of the country if IPOB becomes offensive shortly, if Buhari declines the request of Igbo leaders to secure Nnamdi Kanu’s release” “Nigeria will go up in flames and experience security challenges if Kanu is not released, it’s obvious that ACF has descended from her esteemed position of admiration to become overnight street urchins by permitting the terrorist activities of Boko Haram and Bandits to becloud their sense of reasoning from seeing that only the release of Nnamdi Kanu will secure a stronger United Nigeria. “Their opposition to the release of the IPOB leader has automatically put the ACF as an exponent of Nigeria’s breakup and disintegration, we are not begging President Buhari not to listen to the ACF but he should correct his lapses in governance before the International community”.
“The ACF and Northern Elders Forum are not aware of the International pressures on President Buhari after the Kenyan Government confirmed that the extradition of Nnamdi Kanu to Nigeria did not follow the established protocols and rules coupled with the release of EndSARS report which have battered the image of the country and his government, Buhari is not doing Ndigbo any favour over Kanu but it is a must decision to save his government from the accusations of abuse of human rights and a clampdown on the critics of his government when the real terrorists are being pampered.
“Igbo leaders led by Pa Mbazulike Amaechi offered Buhari a soft landing to save the Federal Government from further embarrassment before the International community,” President Buhari is doing his government a favour, not Ndigbo to release NnamKanuanu, as the international community is watching, if he will succumb to the pressure of the North not to correct the lapses before the watchful eyes of the International community.”