The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has declared that it will no longer be involved in any peace talks with Ohanaeze Ndigbo, because of its latest discovery that Ohanaeze planned to use the peace meeting to promote the interests of a vice presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesperson, stated this in a statement made available to DAILY POST, saying that it suspects that Ohanaeze Ndigbo was using its name to play politics.
Professor Ben Nwabueze had last weekend hosted the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and IPOB in his country home, Atani, Ogbaru local government area of Anambra State, saying that the meeting was convened to consolidate on an earlier peace agreement he had brokered between both groups in Enugu.
IPOB and Ohaneze Ndigbo had been at daggers drawn following the proscription of the group by the federal government last year. IPOB believes that Ohanaeze Ndigbo and governors of the South-East worked in concert with the federal government to proscribe it.
In last weekend’s meeting, Nwabueze told journalists that another meeting would be held in Enugu where the South-East governors would be in attendance, and that the trio would work to pressure the federal government to de-proscribe IPOB. DAILY POST however learnt the the meeting scheduled to hold in Enugu on Wednesday failed to hold for unexplained reasons.
IPOB, in its press release to our correspondent in Awka, said, “Following the inability of Ohaneze Ndigbo and South East governors to de-proscribe the activities of IPOB in line with the stated objectives of the Prof. Ben Nwabueze convened peace initiative, the leadership of IPOB hereby suspend, with immediate effect, any future contact or participation in meetings involving Ohaneze Ndigbo leadership or South East governors.
“The ceasefire previously announced as a gesture of goodwill after the first Enugu meeting is now officially revoked with no hope of future reinstatement.”
The pro-Biafra group said that what was more annoying was that the peace talks was planned as a ploy to get her members to be part of the endorsement of an Igbo vice presidential candidate of the PDP.
“They abused the privilege IPOB ceasefire afforded them by seeking to turn the meeting into an endorsement of an Igbo candidate for PDP vice presidential slot in the coming 2019 elections.
“Under such circumstance, we felt the meeting had lost its purpose hence the need for us to pull out of any talks which consequently brought the entire process to an end.
“Having dutifully attended three meetings in the past 7 weeks with nothing to show for it, these collaborators and traitors have become more emboldened in their subterfuge to the extent of boasting to observers sent by Aso Rock to the Enugu meeting of the 8th of August that IPOB has been thoroughly weakened and reduced to begging to be de-proscribed.”
The group insisted that it has high respect for Professor Nwabueze, who had tried to broker peace between them, but would not continue with the peace talks bearing in mind that Ohanaeze was seeking to drag them into Nigerian politics.
“Mindful of posterity and our deep respect for Prof. Nwabueze, who personally pleaded that we suspend all negative comments and verbal attacks against Ohanaeze Ndigbo. We duly obliged by announcing a binding cessation of all hostilities against corrupt Igbo leaders despite the fact they knowingly and actively connived with Fulani overlords to kill IPOB activists, invade the home of our leader with the intention to kill him out of petty jealousy over his popularity and acceptance by the people.”
IPOB announced that any further attempt to bring the group to a round table discussion with Igbo leaders would not work, demanding that all inquiries should henceforth be channeled to its headquarters in Germany.
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