A foremost socio-cultural group, Njiko Igbo Forum (NIF), has expressed outrage over the attack on Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
NewsBits recalls that Obi was on Tuesday stopped from entering Benue State by some youths, a development that has continued to attract condemnation from across the country. In a statement issued on Thursday by the National Coordinator of Njiko Igbo Forum, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha, he said the incident was a deliberate attempt to further provoke Ndigbo.
Obioha, who recalled events leading to the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War, said Ndigbo were again being pushed to the wall. He accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of encouraging impunity by some of its governors. He said: “Even the military did not treat Ndigbo the way we are seeing since the return to democracy.
“Under military rule, you could see that even some Igbos were made military administrators, which was a demonstration of inclusivity. But all that has changed; we are witnessing a deliberate attempt to exterminate Ndigbo, a deliberate attempt to provoke Ndigbo into action.
“Is there any other presidential candidate that could be stopped from entering other states? Can they stop Alhaji Atiku Abubakar? So, there is no doubt that Obi is being persecuted simply because he is an Igbo man.
“Sunday Igboho was rewarded after his activities, but Nnamdi Kanu was jailed for life. It is the same pattern; Ndigbo are seriously endangered, and it is getting to a point where we would no longer take it.”
Obioha knocked Igbo leaders, including royal fathers and civil society coalitions, for keeping quiet in the face of such “obvious provocation. How would the Igbo nation be taken down so condescendingly without a whimper, even from our traditional leaders?”
NIF warned that “whether Peter Obi is your preferred candidate or not, he deserves his rights, which, by extension, is the right of every citizen, not only Igbos: freedom of movement.”
“The APC government of President Bola Tinubu should disown what happened in Benue State; the governor should be held to account. If this does not happen, it means the action of the Benue governor has the stamp of the APC-led Federal Government.
“We can’t take it lightly, because if anything happens to Peter Obi and Nnamdi Kanu, it is not going to be funny. We want the peace and unity of this country, but we are being provoked.”
