Weekly Sit-At-Home: Time For South East Governors To Engage IPOB And The Presidency – APC Group Say
A group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the South East APC Integrity Group has called on governors of the South East states to immediately engage the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the adverse effects of their weekly Sit-At-home.
The Convener of South East APC Integrity Group, Dr. Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu in a statement on Monday lamented the economic loss to the nation.
He said: “IPOB’s sit-at-home is costing huge amounts of money, which has been put at over N100 billion for everyday the sit-at-home order has been complied with.
“Obviously, we are against the weekly sit-at-home, because it is too costly for South-East economy and because it has also cost lives and properties. Above all, it will not achieve release of Nnamdi Kanu”, the Jideofo-Ogbuagu said.
The group therefore recommended that “instead of the South-East governors engaging the pro-Biafra agitators in a show of force and supremacy, that the South-East governors directly or indirectly engage the freedom agitators in realistic and effective dialogue.”
Dr. Jideofo-Ogbuagu added that “naturally, the issue of proscription of IPOB by the South-East and Federal Governments would come up, and we advise that the South-East governors unproscribe or deproscribe the pro-Biafra activists.
“We also advise that the South-East governors prevail on President Buhari to mend fences with IPOB.
“And we hope that IPOB, as part of a deal, will apologize to President Buhari while the Federal Government should pay compensation for unwarranted military assault on the Kanu household that resulted in the death of many people – including Nnamdi’s parents.
He said that as part of the deal, IPOB should cease Radio Biafra broadcasts, including their insults on President Buhari.
According to Jideofo-Ogbuagu, who is also the National Coordinator of South-East APC Presidency Project 2023, the IPOB should then “engage in civil society or political activism until President Buhari vacates office on 29th May 2023.”
The South-East APC Integrity Group then offered to participate in the process of release of Nnamdi Kanu and a negotiated settlement between “IPOB and the governments that proscribed them quite unjustifiably.”
