IPOB, Biafra Proponents Told To Play Active Role In 2023 Election Project

Former All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Dr SKC Ogbonnia, on Tuesday advised members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other Pro-Biafra organizations to play active roles in the 2023 elections and ensure that an Igbo becomes Nigeria president.

He enjoined pro-Biafra groups to key into the growing democratic revolution in Nigeria by participating in Nigeria elections so as to uproot the status quo across Nigeria and ensure that good person are elected to positions of power.

Ogbonnia, in a statement in Enugu, said, “Whereas IPOB and other Pro-Biafra groups deserve profound praise for recognising that the real enemies of Ndigbo are within the people, they should equally recognize that the real battle belongs at the polling booths.

“Instead of banal threats of election boycotts, which only serve to disfranchise the ordinary people, the IPOB should key into a growing democratic revolution to uproot the status quo across Nigeria to ensure that good people are elected to positions of power. These political positions, of course, include the 2023 presidency which, by equitable consensus, is the turn of the South-East zone.”

The APC chieftain advised that rather than fraternising with property acquisitions outside Biafra land by the Igbo, IPOB could capitalise on its overflowing influence to mitigate the suffering of its masses by leading an investment revolution at home.

He also suggested that before restructure, and beyond Biafra, the Igbo must recognise the need to persevere and rekindle the competitive spirit, ingenuity, and the mental fortitude needed to unleash immediate investment at home, so that the Igbo masses could survive before the Promised Land.

Ogbonnia lamented that the federal statutory allocations and constituency projects due to the states and local governments, as well as their internally generated revenues have been under the control of the native politicians but have not translated to tangible projects to show for the trillions of naira.

While harping on the need for leadership action before restructuring, Ogbonnia said: “The Igbo politicians should not wait till after the restructure of Nigeria before embarking on an economic a dry-run in the remote semblance of the preferred structure, at least to stem the existential threat of mass unemployment and the consequential rising tide of crimes in the region.

“Former Governors Jim Nwobodo and Sam Mbakwe did not hide behind quotidian excuses of the current structure before performing wonders within just 4 years in the Second Republic. Moreover, the Nnewi model has since rubbished the common excuse that the Igbos must have a functional seaport before it can thrive. This goes without saying that many thriving Igbo destinations, for example, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano do not have seaports.”