|
New Page 1
Ojukwu’s ordeal, ploy against Igbo presidency-- Ohanaeze
NKIRU OKEKE, Enugu and EJIKEME
OMENAZU, Lagos
APEX Igbo socio-cultural
organization, Ohanaeze, yesterday opened a curious insight into the
summons by the State Security Services (SSS) to Ikemba Nnewi, Dim
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alleging that it was to dampen the Igbo quest for
the presidency in 2007.
In its first reaction to the controversy, Ohanaeze,
through its Secretary-General, Col. Joe Achuzia (rtd) said the SSS summons to
Ojukwu, an Igbo leader, over the latter’s position on the Movement for the
Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) was another ploy to
stiffle the Igbo quest in 2007.
He said since Ohanaeze made the
pronouncement that it was the turn of Ndigbo to produce the country’s
next President, several feathers had been severely ruffled.
Dim Ojukwu,
who is also the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
in the last general elections, had while declaring support for MASSOB, said much
of the situation which led to the Civil War (1967-70) and which MASSOB had been
protesting, still persist in the land.
MASSOB, led by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike,
which the Federal Government has declared a "rebel" and illegal organization, is
seeking an independent republic of Biafra, from Nigeria, against the backdrop of
the increasing official marginalisation of the South East.
Dim Ojukwu,
the former leader of the breakaway republic of Biafra, described MASSOB’s
agitation as in order, adding, however, that it was up to Nigeria to determine
whether Biafra is to be or otherwise.
But the SSS, apparently feeling that the
comment bordered on national security invited Ojukwu to Abuja last Monday but
the APGA chieftain shunned the invitation and alleged a plot to kill him and
MASSOB leader, Uwazuruike, for holding an opinion.
But, Achuzia reacting to the summons, told
newsmen in Enugu that "for the past two months since the issue of the Presidency
came to light, everybody, everything, is being done to make the country feel as
if there is danger facing our corporate existence. I consider all these a
smokescreen and an attempt to say that the Igbo man is not capable of producing
the president for this country come 2007."
"We will not accept any of our sons being
rubbished under the guise of national security for the purposes of maintaining
corporate existence of this country. It is to the Igbo man’s interest that
Nigeria remains one, hence our quest and claim that it is our turn and come 2007
to produce the president of this country," Achuzia said.
On whether the Ikemba should honour
such invitation, Col. Achuzia said that Dim Ojukwu should not honour the
invitation as he may not be allowed to come back, considering the fact that only
a one-way ticket was offered to him.
"The fact that you issued somebody a
one-way ticket, in our language, it has an ominous meaning. It is only a tree
that hears that it is being cut down and stands, but any human being will run,"
he stated.
Going down memory lane, the Ohanaeze
secretary general recalled that Generals Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) and Buhari,
both former Heads of state, declined to honour invitations to appear before the
Human Rights Violation Investigation Panel (HRVIC) led by Justice Chukwudifu
Oputa and nothing was done to them.
"I remember during the Oputa Panel,
certain prominent citizens representing particular areas were invited, people
like IBB, Buhari. These people refused to come, though court order was issued
and I believe that court order takes precedence over SSS or police invitation,
heavens did not fall.
"I don’t believe that the government will
allow the situation to degenerate where there will be confrontation. There are
ways and means open to government to resolve the matter without confrontation,"
he said.
Meanwhile, a socio-political organization,
Igbo Forum, has warned the federal government not to do anything that will heat
up the polity.
Reacting to the recent invitation issued
to Ojukwu, by the SSS and his allegation that there was a plot to assassinate
him, Igbo Forum warned that no official of government should mess up with the
personality of the Igbo hero.
The Forum which spoke through its national
chairman, Chief Solomon Okonkwo stressed that to bring Ojukwu to disrepute
through the SSS would be one of the great mistakes of this administration.
He said government should discard the invitation issued to
Ojukwu through the SSS in the interest of peace and concord, adding that
whatever the Igbo idol said concerning the MASSOB was his personal right as an
Igbo leader.
|
