A south east group, the SouthEast Renewal Group (SERG) has raised an alarm over claims that the pan-igbo socio cultural group, Ohaneze has been hijacked by some selfish individuals who do not represent the true interest beneficial to people of south east Nigeria.
Ohaneze
The SERG said instead of charting a new course that relies more on building alliances with other blocs for the purpose of advancing the Igbo interest, the new President General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Mr. John Nnia Nwodo,has rather lined the group he has been elected to lead behind insurrectionists groups such as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Friday, Charles Mbani expressed surprise why the leadership of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo is scared of the Special Board of Inquiry set up by the army to look into human rights allegations involving their militant wing.
He said, “after several bad outings during which our youths are encouraged to confront and in some instances even kill military and security personnels, the Nigerian Army has set up a 7-Man Special Board of Inquiry to investigate if personnel of the Nigerian Army committed human right abuses in dealing with such violent outings and other areas where they have operated in Nigeria.
“To us in SERG this is something that should have shed ample light on what happened in those many unfortunate instances. But perhaps fearing the imminent exposure of Ohaneze as the hand pulling the strings of the IPOB and MASSOB puppet, Chief John Nnia Nwodo rushed to issue a statement to preempt the board and not minding exposing himself in ridiculous manner.
His argument is that one cannot be a judge in his own case as reported in a two page statement titled, “BURATAI, WITH RESPECT, YOU CANNOT BE A JUDGE IN YOUR OWN COURT. Not only did he take this position but he went on to declare that the inquiry cannot stand the test of objectivity and therefore it’s outcome would not be acceptable to Ohaneze.”
He said SERG is opposed to the use of violence or threat of violence against other Nigerians in pursuit of a better deal for the SouthEast.
He said, “This is why we find the path chosen by President General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Mr. John Nnia Nwodo to be at variance with the interest of the SouthEast as a geo-political zone and destructive to the Igbo interest. Instead of charting a new course that relies more on building alliances with other blocs for the purpose of advancing the Igbo interest he has rather lined the group he has been elected to lead behind insurrectionists, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
“It is clear as no one was in doubt about the position of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo knowing well that it was this group that started IPOB and MASSOB as their militant wing in the first place using miserable people like Nnamdi Kanu and Ralph Nwazurike to pursue their fraudulent agenda. In the past, groups like these are what they use to court federal attention and they will go to the Presidency to negotiate bribes and contracts for themselves. Unfortunately for them, President Muhammadu Buhari has not invited them to the Villa since the end of the groups has been seen by the Nigerian State.
“It is grossly antithetical that the same Ohaneze that was an integral part of a political party which vowed to rule Nigeria for 60 years suddenly want out of the same union now that its chieftains are no longer at the table in the Presidential Villa to pick up crumbs. Now the same people that wanted 60 years of theft are suddenly in a hurry to partition the country. It is sad that they are without honour on this scale but it is sadder still that they have gathered numerous bad students of history that they use as canon fodder.
