The youth wing of the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Youth Council, OYC, has commended the efforts of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and its leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to ensuring a United Nations supervised referendum, says it is democratic and the only way forward in Nigeria.
Recall that the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB had earlier on said the group is working relentlessly to create an avenue where the UN-recognized and supervised referendum takes place in Nigeria, a move they said would determine the further existence of Biafrans in Nigeria.
Addressing the newsmen over the weekend in Owerri, State capital of Imo, the President of the OYC Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka maintained that it is within the tenet of democracy for a people to pursue self-determination, adding that its organization is in full support of any democratic move to dissect the numerous issues surrounding the makeup of the Nigerian Federation.
Also in a statement signed by Comrade ThankGod Emeh, SSA to OYC National President, the group noted that IPOB and other organizations fighting for the restoration of Biafra are entitled to call for a referendum.
The statement reads:
“Going by the type of body legally qualified to call for a referendum as the legal basis for such a thorough course requires, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), MASSOB, Lower Niger Congress (LNC), Biafra National (BNC), Eastern People’s Congress (EPC), Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN) qualifies to call for a restructured referendum having housed a good number of views of the Igbo nation in a struggle for a fair share in the Nigerian federation against the clear marginalization of the Igbo race evidenced in lopsided federal key appointments, especially the service chiefs.
“The call for United Nations to play a coordinating and supervisory role in the IPOB, The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Lower Niger Congress and other Pro-Biafran group’s proposed Referendum is a right step in the right direction geared towards ensuring fundamental human rights, especially freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association in the whole process.
“Just like an independence referendum was held in Eritrea between 23 and 25 April 1993 with a result of 99.83% in favor, as well as a 98.5% turnout, the Indigenous People of Biafra call for a UN-supervised referendum will afford Nigerians the opportunity to air their views and bare their minds in the voting process to decide the future of the country as well as the citizenry.
OYC also called on Nigerian authorities to heed to the democratic call which seems the last resolve to settling the dust of secession, marginalization, self-rule agitations, proscription and overheating the polity after the devasting Nigeria civil war proved abortive to ending the outcry of Ndigbo for a restructured Nigeria.
“We also call on the citizenry especially Ndigbo to be civil and exhibit a high sense of peace in all they do as the struggle for a better-restructured referendum.
Igboayaka pointed out a furious publication made by one Mr. Okechukwu Isigusoro who he said is impersonating the office of the Presidency of OYC with the name, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide” compelling Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to apologize to Nnia Nwodo, an issue that has already been settled by IPOB and Igbo political stakeholders led by Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma on 4th July 2020.
“Therefore, it’s of great importance to inform Ndigbo and the general public at large that Mr. Okechukwu Isigusoro and cohort who has been making publication on newspapers are group of hungry prodigal sons working with Fulani and Yoruba political cabals to feed their stomach and malign the reasonable effort of Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) led by Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka”. He concluded.
Nwada Ugochinyere Onyechere reporting, Obinwannem News
