The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, a leading advocate for self-determination in the South East of Nigeria, has refuted reports that it threatened Anambra people with violence if they came out to vote.
In an e-mailed statement to The Trent on Sunday, November 12, 2017, signed by its two prominent spokesperson, Emma Nmezu and Clifford Iroanya, IPOB said the reports which appeared in Punch and syndicated through the News Agency of Nigeria in which the organisation was reported to have issued a “vote-and-die” order was fabricated and propaganda aimed at painting the group as violent.
The group also slammed human rights groups in the South East who condemned IPOB based on the reports in the press.
WHY BIAFRANS IN ANAMBRA STATE MUST IGNORE THE DECEPTIVE AND FALSE WRITE-UP BY INTERSOCIETY & CO CONCERNING IPOB ON ANAMBRA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION
Biafrans in Anambra state are hereby admonished to ignore a false and deceptive write-up issued by an IPOB-DOS friendly human rights organization called INTERSOCIETY, which they issued in conjunction with other organizations under the name of Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs). The joint write-up which they issued on the 12th of November 2017 was coated with lies and falsehood as it pertains to the stance of IPOB in respect of the upcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra state. Although INTERSOCIETY has always supported the self-determination rights of Biafrans, we cannot allow them to get away with lies and falsehood against IPOB. The pack of lies against IPOB by INTERSOCIETY & Co was based on a newspaper report by The Punch newspaper which can be accessed through the following link: http://punchng.com/vote-and-die-ipob-threatens-anambra-residents/
It is unfortunate that INTERSOCIETY, a highly revered and dependable organization, will base their write-up on a sensational headline from a well-known gutter newspaper such as Punch. More unfortunate is the fact that INTERSOCIETY & Co did not cross-check the information with Emma Powerful or Uche Mefor, both of Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB, before issuing the joint write-up. Even the Punch newspaper report never quoted Emma Powerful as threatening people with death if they come out to vote.
It is on record that IPOB has always maintained the stance of BOYCOTT of all elections in Biafraland and not the STOPPING of elections. We are therefore surprised that INTERSOCIETY & Co peddled falsehood by giving the impression that IPOB is going to stop the election in Anambra state. In fact, INTERSOCIETY & Co specifically associated IPOB with violence, which is inadvertently supporting the tagging of IPOB as a terrorist organization by the terrorist-supporting government of Nigeria.
We want to make it very clear to the whole world once more that Biafrans are only boycotting the election by staying at home and this is markedly different from stopping the election which involves physically coming out to disrupt the voting process albeit violently. It is important to note that voting is a fundamental human right and we have the undeniable right to NOT exercise it. We advise INTERSOCIETY & Co to concern themselves with the militarization of Anambra state during the election with over 50,000 armed security personnel for 4,608 polling stations, which gives a ratio of one (1) polling station to eleven (11) heavily armed security personnel. This militarization is the more reason why Biafrans have decided unanimously to stay at home and boycott the election and avoid being shot and killed.
It is very important to draw the attention of INTERSOCIETY & Co to Section-179(2) of the Nigerian fraudulent constitution where it stated how a winner will emerge during a gubernatorial election involving multiple candidates. The boycott of the election by Biafrans will not affect this part of that fraudulent constitution, therefore, no need to peddle falsehood and lies against IPOB by INTERSOCIETY & Co.
Finally, we will like to admonish INTERSOCIETY & Co to refrain from “Igbonizing” the Biafra restoration project. Currently, there are moves to articulate and endorse a Charter of Relationship among the federating units in the Lower Niger Region also called the old Eastern Region of Nigeria. By referring to Biafra as an Igbo affair (Igbonizing Biafra), the other federating units, outside Igboland, will feel belittled and discriminated against. For the records, the last Head of State of Biafra, before our dear nation rejoined the British-created contraption called Nigeria, was not from the Igbo-speaking area of Biafra. Same goes for so many senior military and civil servants in Biafra, prior to rejoining Nigeria in January of 1970.
Finally, we want to urge every Biafran in Anambra state to ignore the falsehood and lies peddled against IPOB by INTERSOCIETY & Co because they were based on sensational journalism typical of Punch newspaper. Biafrans never planned to disrupt the election but rather agreed unanimously to boycott the election by staying at home. The boycott of election is not the same as stopping an election.
We advise Biafrans in Anambra state to continue with the plan to boycott the gubernatorial election coming up on November 18, 2017. The result of that boycott will be used as a supporting document when LONIM engages the United Nations. In addition, we Biafrans like the Oduduwas, have rejected the Nigerian fraudulent constitution. Participating in Anambra election will contradict this rejection because by participating, it means recognizing, agreeing to, and complying with Section-178 of that fraudulent constitution. We are determined to restore our nation of Biafra irrespective of the falsehood and lies peddled against IPOB by INTERSOCIETY & Co in their recent joint write-up because the restoration of the nation of Biafra is a divine project whose time has come and is, therefore, unstoppable, unquenchable, irreversible, and irrevocable.
Long live IPOB, long live LONIM, and long live the nation of Biafra!!!
Signed
Barrister Emma Nmezu Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya
Spokesperson for IPOB Spokesperson for IPOB
