The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), yesterday condemned the meeting of Igbo leaders with the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
They described those involved in the gathering as a few compromised political jobbers from core Igbo states of Biafraland.
The group noted that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, had made it clear that any dialogue with the Federal Government that doesn’t include an agreement on a referendum date to determine the issue of Biafra once and for all, is an exercise in futility.
The Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, in a statement viewed the meeting with certain Igbo politicians who were sympathetic to All Progressives Congress (APC) as an insult to the sensibilities of Biafrans all over the world.
The statement read: “This meeting we understand was convened at the instance of the Acting President, Osinbajo following the political fallout from the hugely successful IPOB sit-at-home order of May 30, 2017.
“With one or two exceptions and with the greatest respect to the attendees to this sponsored gathering in Abuja, the so-called South-East delegation is in no way representative of the views of the leadership of IPOB worldwide, neither can they claim, with any degree of sincerity to be speaking for the masses.
“Therefore, all Osinbajo has succeeded in achieving with this meeting is to waste scarce resources that could have been channelled towards more useful purposes. None of those that attended this meeting gave the order for people to sit-at-home on May 30. So, we are at a loss to understand the justification for their invitation to the meeting to discuss something they know nothing about.
“In this regard, we wish to inform the government of Nigeria that the gathering was a waste of time and will continue to be until the Federal Government does the needful.
“We note and respect the presence of the leader of Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo, and two others at that very meeting, however, the rest are nothing to write home about.
“We do not think that presiding over the distribution of monthly allocation from Abuja qualifies any political office holder to discuss issues pertaining to IPOB and Biafra restoration when the leadership can be directly contacted.
“Since August 2015 that the Federal Government and security operatives have been killing and abducting innocent and peaceful IPOB members, none of the governors that attended the meeting in Abuja rose to condemn the brutal and barbaric repression of IPOB’s peaceful agitation for an independent homeland for Biafrans.
“None of them offered any comment in condemnation of the well documented atrocities despite the existence of overwhelming evidence to substantiate the facts alluded to in the widely received Amnesty Report.
“How can such persons now go to Abuja to discuss issues bordering on the activities of IPOB when they know nothing about the modus operandi of the organisation. Only IPOB can and will discuss issues pertaining to her activities, not compromised politicians.”
“From time, we firmly resolved that nobody among the governors or politicians can set an agenda for IPOB, except our leader, Kanu. The sooner the Federal Government understands this, the better. Therefore, any meeting without the consent of our leader or those nominated by him in a representative capacity, is a complete waste and unacceptable to IPOB,” Powerful stated.