A power tussle is underway among the leaders of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) following Nnamdi Kanu’s directive to halt the weekly sit-at-home protests in the south-east.
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA reports that the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in August 2021, implemented a sit-at-home order, aiming to exert pressure on the Nigerian government for the release of their leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing charges of alleged treasonable felony and terrorism.
As a consequence, Mondays have transformed into de facto public holidays in the south-eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, and Enugu. Furthermore, in solidarity with Mr. Kanu’s court appearances, IPOB has designated those days as sit-at-home days. Additionally, the group reserves the right to declare any other day as a sit-at-home day as it deems necessary.
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However, in a letter shared on Twitter by Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Kanu on Friday, the IPOB leader instructed Simon Ekpa, who claims to be his disciple, to cease calling for further sit-at-home actions.
He asked Ekpa to make a public announcement to the effect that Monday sit-at-home is now cancelled.
“Simon this is a direct order from me. I hereby instruct you to desist from calling for any sit-at-home henceforth,” the letter reads.
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“He equally refrain from antagonising governors or persons in political positions because you are not in a position to know what they are doing on my behalf.
“I am ordering you to make a public announcement to the effect that you are in receipt of a direct order from me to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the moment.
“I embarked on this movement to liberate our people not to enslave them. I despise and will despise any person or entity that wishes to inflict unnecessary hardship on our people.
“I have authorized Aloy to issue a press statement if you fail to make this announcement on your platform”.
Kanu added that anyone engaging in sit-at-home is not his disciple, saying the directive is a “waste of time, resources and energy.”
“Anybody still engaging in sit-at-home is not my disciple. Haters of Biafra and mindless murderers in uniform are hiding under the cover of combating enforcers of sit-at-home to unleash mayhem against the same people we swore to defend.
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“I have sent countless messages to those purportedly enforcing sit-at-home that they are not doing so in my name. I am not begging anybody to release me just that Nigeria should have the decency to obey their own laws”.
“The main issue which our people should address their minds to is the unconscionable delays in hearing the govt appeal at the Supreme Court, which is a situation not amenable to any sit-at-home. Therefore sit-at-home is a waste of time, resources and energy,” Kanu added.
Ekpa Replies: ‘IT IS FAKE’
The situation took a dramatic turn when Ekpa dismissed the letter as “fake” in a Twitter post.
He denied that Kanu had written such a letter, considering it not only a joke but also an insulting misrepresentation of the IPOB leader.
“Our attention has been drawn to the fake letter from the pit of hell being paraded by Sahara Reporters and other Nigeria media claiming that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wrote a letter,” he tweeted.
“It is not only a joke but an insult taken too far that the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra is being misrepresented in this way.
“As the Prime Minister of Biafra under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I call on all Biafrans to disregard the fake letter coming from DSS. We can’t take any order from the Islamic DSS and that is final.”