•Our spokesman’ll respond to claims –Group’s member
Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
A new factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Okwudili Ezenachukwu, has emerged.
Ezenachukwu, who emerged as IPOB factional leader as a result of alleged internal disaffection created by one Uche Mefor, Kanu’s deputy director of Radio Biafra London, who suspended and expelled some key national and state officers appointed by Chidiebere Onwudiwe, called on all pro-Biafra groups to unite in pursuit of their dream, which is the restoration of Biafra.
Responding to Ezenachukwu’s claim, a member of the group, who pleaded anonymity, said IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, who could not be reached yesterday, would respond today.
Earlier, Ezenachukwusaid the era of brandishing self titles, self- glorification, selfishness and self -superiority, which leads to self-destruction has gone, adding that leadership of pro Biafra groups must come together now in the interest of Biafra.
Ezenachukwu, who spoke with Daily Sun in a telephone interview, warned other pro Biafra groups and followers of Nnamdi Kanu, whose whereabouts remains a mystery, to stop adhering and introducing inconsequential propaganda.
According to him, propaganda is dangerous and meaningless to the holistic struggle for Biafra restoration.
“The journey for Biafra restoration is not only the duty of pro Biafra groups, political, religious, traditional and opinion leaders of Eastern Region, but that of those Igbo who have one role or the other to play, even if they are governors of states.
“IPOB will no longer insult Igbo leaders in public; it makes the Hausa Fulani people happy and more comfortable in discrediting Ndigbo. It also creates a huge gap between the pro Biafra groups and Igbo leaders.
“We wish to clarify that IPOB will no longer insult or use hate speeches against leaders; we wish to revive our former glory which everybody appreciated.
“We cannot continue to recoil on ideas and methodologies that endanger the lives and property of our people,” he explained.
The new IPOB leader said the group does not have problem with South East governors, including Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who was not consulted after the former leader was released from detention and advised accordingly, “but, he still went ahead to do what his mind told him, which has kept them where they are today.
“Ikpeazu respected Kanu’s father when there was pressure to dethrone him, resisted pressure to re-arrest Kanu,” the leader of the group said.
He called on South East governors to review the proscription of IPOB, as the new leadership under him is ready to partner with them to salvage the situation they have been thrown into by the former leadership.
“We disassociate ourselves from the earlier statement credited to IPOB through Emma Powerful, as we have realised that creating problems and disaffection through the media propaganda will not give us Biafra.”
On how he emerged as IPOB’s factional leader, Ezenachukwu said Onwudiwe was IPOB national coordinator, before he was arrested and detained.
Mefor, who literarily took over the leadership of IPOB when Kanu was in detention, also suspended some key international officers and pilars of IPOB, which include Uchenna Asiegbu, Clifford Iroanya, Emma Nmezu and other diaspora coordinators.
“As a result of that, other diaspora officers and representatives pulled out of Kanu’s leadership when efforts to settle the internal wrangling with Kanu failed.
“Back home, aggrieved members felt abandoned when Kanu’s action attracted killings of members in Umuahia, Aba and Onitsha.
“There was no proper accountability and compensations to the families of the dead. So, thousands of progressives who pulled out of Kanu’s leadership, rallied round me and encouraged me to lead. That was how I emerged as the leader of IPOB,” he said.