The South East Council of Traditional Rulers and the Representatives of Igbo Archbishops and Bishops have extolled IPOB Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, MNK, the entire leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the respect accorded to the elders when they appealed to IPOB to suspend the sit-at-home order, one week before the November 2021 Anambra Governorship election.
In a statement signed by His Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka A. Achebe, CFR, mni, Obi of Onitsha, His Grace, Most Reverend Anthony Obinna, Catholic Archbishop of Owerri and His Grace, Most Reverend (Dr) Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, JP Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, said the good gesture by IPOB has offered some relief to the already distressed social and economic life of the people of South East.
MNK
According to the Joint body, it is relieved that the Anambra State Gubernatorial Election was conducted without any major incidents or breach of peace. To this end, the Royal Fathers and Igbo Archbishops and Bishops also commended the people of Anambra State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Security Forces, the National Peace
Committee, and all the other actors who contributed to the successful conduct of the election.
The Joint Body however, said it is highly disturbed by the persistent complaints by the IPOB legal team about the difficulties it encounters in dealing with the Department of State Services (DSS) and, especially, the sad events which occurred during Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appearance in court last Wednesday, November 10.
The Body further urges the court to affirm the fundamental rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, his lawyers, and other stakeholders. Failure to do so, the joint body would lend weight to the suspicion in some quarters of a planned secret trial, as well as neutralise all the efforts being made to establish peace in the South East.
The Joint Body acknowledges the statement by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, in which he affirmed that the Federal Government was open to a political solution to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case. “This statement is in line with the proposal earlier made by this Joint Body and by other well-meaning persons and groups in Nigeria”. “This Body therefore eagerly awaits the concrete steps that would be taken in this regard”.
The Joint Body added that it acknowledges the roles played by various other Igbo organizations and groups in fostering peace in the South East zone and called on all to sustain the current effort until true peace, based on justice and equity, is achieved in Igbo land.
See attached statement below:
