A former aide to ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Abati, has opined that the embattled leader of the
Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu may be acting out a script by
resurfacing at a time when the political atmosphere in the country was
gathering momentum, ahead of 2019.
Abati hinted that Kanu’s decision
to resurface from his hiding place may have a political undertone.
In his latest article titled,
“Nnamdi Kanu as “Wailing Wailer,” Abati said Kanu may be a “curveball” being
used to “frustrate the Atiku-Obi’s ticket.”
The embattled IPOB leader, who
has not been seen since September 2017, had last week Friday resurfaced in
Jerusalem praying.
However, Abati in his article
wrote: “Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) movement suddenly resurfaced in Jerusalem, Israel at the Wailing Wall,
after his one-year disappearance that resulted in speculations about his
whereabouts. Kanu has since issued a statement through Radio Biafra in which he
denounced the Nigerian state and boasted that no Nigerian court can do anything
to him.
“Before disappearing from sight,
under the cloud of the invasive Operation Python Dance in his home state of
Abia, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu had accused the Nigerian government of trying to
kill him and destroy the Biafran movement that he leads. He has now been quoted
as saying: “(The) Nigerian court is a kangaroo court. I did not jump bail. I
left because the court failed to protect me. I shall not be honouring the
court. I cannot be tried by a court I do not recognize. Nigeria cannot jail
me.”
“Whatever may be the quality of
Nnamdi Kanu’s grievances, he must be told in clear terms that he cannot make such
claims of superiority to the state as he has done.
“No non-Nigerian can even say
that Nigerian courts are unacceptable and yet engage in acts that could have
implications for Nigeria’s sovereignty. Kanu says he escaped during the
invasion of his home by Nigerian soldiers. We have condemned that invasion –
its manner, style and intent. We have defended the right of indigenous peoples
to ask for self-determination, under the right circumstances. But no other
Nigerian, including Igbos, believes that Nnamdi Kanu is superior to the
Nigerian state.
“He is on record as having said:
“I am Nnamdi Kanu, no mortal flesh can kill me. They have not given birth to
that very person. Since they didn’t want me to come to court, I shall come back
to Biafra land…” If no mortal flesh can kill him, why run away then? Ple-a-se!
Some other reports indicate that when Nnamdi Kanu returns, he will bring
“hell”. I am not sure that is a correct public statement to make.
“I do not see many Nigerians who
are looking forward to a promised “hell”. They are in hell already. And they
are not likely to rely on the words of a man who vanished, when the Nigerian
hell became too hot, but he is now bragging that he will return and lead his
followers to a hotter part of hell. When and if Kanu returns, (he is probably
just bluffing), he may find a smaller crowd behind him. What will he say to the
many families who lost loved ones and property while he and his own family fled
to safety? “I owe my survival to the state of Israel”, Kanu says. “I want to
send my solidarity to @GovAyoFayose”, he purportedly added.
“There may be politics tied to
Nnamdi Kanu’s return. Why now, when an Igbo man, has been named by the
opposition party as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate? Is anyone using Nnamdi Kanu
as a curveball to frustrate the Atiku-Obi ticket? Who dragged him out of whatever
hole he crawled into, now to use him to play politics? However, by his conduct,
and utterances, Kanu has watered down the potency of the revolution that he
leads. He disappointed many. He has also failed to realise that while he was
absent from the battle front, the dynamics of the revolution changed.
“He wants to hold a Biafra
referendum. The only referendum Nigerians are interested in at this moment is a
referendum on the Buhari government. Nnamdi Kanu and associates should tarry a
while. You can’t just jump off the train of revolution and expect to jump back,
at an opportune time, from the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, with a ticket made of
spittle and a sheet of prayer requests.”
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com