ANAMBRA STATE ELECTION BOYCOTT IN FOCUS
By Elochukwu Nicholas Ohagi
For Family Writers Press
Even if we must pick crumbs from politicians, must we add lies and hypocrisy to it? This is a question I wish to ask all of us who today confront the boycott of election the people of Biafra have decided to observe, starting with Anambra state election. I have seen you all pontificate your resolve to make Anambra state better. I have listened to your endless accusations on how other Biafrans wants to destroy Anambra state. One accused me of coming from Imo state and wanting to destroy Anambra state with the election boycott. So that I supported election boycott has been termed destroying Anambra state? For the avoidance of doubt, I am from Imo state, I am a proud son of Urualla, yet I have a very big stake in Anambra state, not just as a Biafran, but also because I was born here, lived here and done virtually everything here. And let me correct an impression here, before the creation of numerous states that were meant to destroy brothers and make them see themselves as being different from each other, we all originated from Anambra state. My mother state is Anambra state. I was first an Anabrarian before becoming an Imorite. So I can not be blackmailed, and can not be bought.
Those that do not stand with the election boycott have continued to ask us what boycott will fetch us, yet they have refused to tell us how casting of votes and electing a leader will help us or have been helping us.
If not for any other thing, we have voted in election for almost 57years now, and I want to ask you all questioning the election boycott, to tell us sincerely what voting has fetched us. We voted for Rochas Okorocha in Imo state, it was not under PDP or APC but APGA, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu's party, yet he dumped us, betrayed us and spit on us all. Today you can look at Imo state, and see clearly the rot Imo state has become under this man we thought had the interest of Igbos at heart. What did he do? He dumped APGA and moved into APC, President Buhari's party.
In Anambra, we all voted for Peter Obi. He became governor and could not stand with his people, that more than 50 MASOB members were gruesomely murdered and dumped in Ezu River in Amansà and he kept quiet, even the investigation that was carried out became dead on arrival and until this minute, there has not been any probe. He moved on as if nothing happened, as if those men were not someone's children, fathers or even husbands. It were not one nor two dead bodies, but more than 50 bodies of full-fledged men and able bodied youths, those our leaders of today do refer to as leaders of tomorrow. Also we were here when the Ozubulu terror attack happened. We all saw how the governor accepted the sham that was called police report. For the first time the Nigerian police was able to conduct and conclude an investigation of such magnitude attack that took the lives of many worshipers in a Catholic church, in less than one hour, without making a single arrest. It was a drug war, they told us and no drug lord was arrested, nothing till today.
For the past 57years you have voted, what have you actually made out of it. Oh! I remember, its time to gain some cash from politicians who are very desperate to win. They give you some quick cash and you end up poorer for the next four years. What have these governors done to deserve our votes? Why are we still going out, standing under the Sun or rain in the name of voting? Does it really worth it? I would have been the first to stand against election boycott had it been we have leaders who have our interest at heart. Is it not unfortunate that today in the South East, we now rate the best governor as one that is paying salary? Oh! he is paying workers salaries, he is the best. Where did innovation go to? Are we actually voting all these years to have people who can pay salaries? What have these people done to grow the economy of the South East? What have they done to connect states in South East with train lines? How about making sure we have palm plantation as to send South East back on top, when it comes to palm oil. Since the time of Jaja of Opobo, palm oil has been the 'kpim' of the economy of the people of Bight of Biafra. What happened to all these things? Why is it that for 57years now we have been going down and down? Have we not been voting? Why are we angry with revolutionaries who have decided to stand against this impunity? Why have comrades in this struggle decided to accuse us wrongly of being the people that want Anambra destroyed? Between those that is campaigning for boycott of election, and those leaders you people have been voting in since 57years ago, who is destroying Igbo land? I am disappointed with all of you. You people are compromised, and you know it. You people have been bought and now you stand with the politicians against the masses. You claim it is all about electing someone with Biafra ideology, but down into your hearts you know it is a lie. It is not about making Anambra state great and neither is it about Biafra. It is completely about your pocket alone. You all are out to make your pockets great.
You say you do not want state of emergency to be declared in Anambra state, but it is all lies. We know you all are recruits. How will they declare this state of emergency? By the way who told you people this is about Anambra state? Do you think it would have been different, had it been this election is to be conducted in Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi or Imo states? You said if we boycott, that we have shot ourselves on the leg and I ask how? The only way we can shoot ourselves on the leg is to vote in Anambra after the barbaric killing of our people in Abia State in the name of "Operation Python dance II". Does it mean Fulani controlled government can kill us without consequences? Have we forgotten just in a month time? How can we just forget? One tailor going to work in Aba was gunned down on his way to the market. Many more were killed. He was not an IPOB member. Just a business man going to his daily work. The military bullet hit him on the head and bursted into pieces his young head. Would you have voted if you were to be Imo, the Aba suits designer? Would you have voted had it been Imo is your brother, uncle, cousin or relation? Would you have voted after the governors you are campaigning for, instead of condemning the brutal killing and torture of IPOB members, rose from a meeting and proscribed them?
What is wrong with us?
Brothers and sisters, the world is watching. We need to totally boycott this election. Remember that our votes hardly counts. We voted for Rochas in his first tenure, can we say same about his second tenure? How did he manage to win? He won without you all. Coming out to vote was just what they need to legalize their rigging. You are afraid of Buhari appointing someone to man Anambra, but you have not bordered to think of what happened that made Buhari to appoint someone to rule Anambra. I told you that the world is watching, didn't I? Yes they are. They will know why Buhari appointed an unelected puppet to man Anambra. They will write on how indigenous people of Biafra boycotted Anambra election because they want to exit Nigeria. This will tell the world how serious we are. This will put shiver on Nigerian Fulani controlled government, and they will either agree to a referendum for Biafra or get disgraced come 2019, when we will boycott the presidential election.
If you are thinking this is us, against governor Willy Obiano or any other candidate, then you are missing it. Biafrans have nothing against anybody. Remember that in the rating of South East governors, you can not rate Obiano completely low. It is about freedom, about cutting of chains of slavery, it is about a stop to born to rule slogan and above all it is us, saying no to injustice. It is very unfortunate that all these are happening in the time of Obiano and other contestants. It is not our making, it is just that when it is Biafra, every other things are completely secondary and inconsequential.
I call on everybody to join hands to sensitize our people on the need to boycott this election. This is the time to make sacrifice for Biafra. Pick up your phone, call people at home and tell them about the need to have this election boycotted. The pythons are still with us, remember. They have not lost the taste for blood. Why risk your life all to vote in unproductive people?
Boycott this election and you would have helped in making our freedom possible.
Edited by Ebere Okolie
For Family Writers Press
By Elochukwu Nicholas Ohagi
For Family Writers Press
Even if we must pick crumbs from politicians, must we add lies and hypocrisy to it? This is a question I wish to ask all of us who today confront the boycott of election the people of Biafra have decided to observe, starting with Anambra state election. I have seen you all pontificate your resolve to make Anambra state better. I have listened to your endless accusations on how other Biafrans wants to destroy Anambra state. One accused me of coming from Imo state and wanting to destroy Anambra state with the election boycott. So that I supported election boycott has been termed destroying Anambra state? For the avoidance of doubt, I am from Imo state, I am a proud son of Urualla, yet I have a very big stake in Anambra state, not just as a Biafran, but also because I was born here, lived here and done virtually everything here. And let me correct an impression here, before the creation of numerous states that were meant to destroy brothers and make them see themselves as being different from each other, we all originated from Anambra state. My mother state is Anambra state. I was first an Anabrarian before becoming an Imorite. So I can not be blackmailed, and can not be bought.
Those that do not stand with the election boycott have continued to ask us what boycott will fetch us, yet they have refused to tell us how casting of votes and electing a leader will help us or have been helping us.
If not for any other thing, we have voted in election for almost 57years now, and I want to ask you all questioning the election boycott, to tell us sincerely what voting has fetched us. We voted for Rochas Okorocha in Imo state, it was not under PDP or APC but APGA, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu's party, yet he dumped us, betrayed us and spit on us all. Today you can look at Imo state, and see clearly the rot Imo state has become under this man we thought had the interest of Igbos at heart. What did he do? He dumped APGA and moved into APC, President Buhari's party.
In Anambra, we all voted for Peter Obi. He became governor and could not stand with his people, that more than 50 MASOB members were gruesomely murdered and dumped in Ezu River in Amansà and he kept quiet, even the investigation that was carried out became dead on arrival and until this minute, there has not been any probe. He moved on as if nothing happened, as if those men were not someone's children, fathers or even husbands. It were not one nor two dead bodies, but more than 50 bodies of full-fledged men and able bodied youths, those our leaders of today do refer to as leaders of tomorrow. Also we were here when the Ozubulu terror attack happened. We all saw how the governor accepted the sham that was called police report. For the first time the Nigerian police was able to conduct and conclude an investigation of such magnitude attack that took the lives of many worshipers in a Catholic church, in less than one hour, without making a single arrest. It was a drug war, they told us and no drug lord was arrested, nothing till today.
For the past 57years you have voted, what have you actually made out of it. Oh! I remember, its time to gain some cash from politicians who are very desperate to win. They give you some quick cash and you end up poorer for the next four years. What have these governors done to deserve our votes? Why are we still going out, standing under the Sun or rain in the name of voting? Does it really worth it? I would have been the first to stand against election boycott had it been we have leaders who have our interest at heart. Is it not unfortunate that today in the South East, we now rate the best governor as one that is paying salary? Oh! he is paying workers salaries, he is the best. Where did innovation go to? Are we actually voting all these years to have people who can pay salaries? What have these people done to grow the economy of the South East? What have they done to connect states in South East with train lines? How about making sure we have palm plantation as to send South East back on top, when it comes to palm oil. Since the time of Jaja of Opobo, palm oil has been the 'kpim' of the economy of the people of Bight of Biafra. What happened to all these things? Why is it that for 57years now we have been going down and down? Have we not been voting? Why are we angry with revolutionaries who have decided to stand against this impunity? Why have comrades in this struggle decided to accuse us wrongly of being the people that want Anambra destroyed? Between those that is campaigning for boycott of election, and those leaders you people have been voting in since 57years ago, who is destroying Igbo land? I am disappointed with all of you. You people are compromised, and you know it. You people have been bought and now you stand with the politicians against the masses. You claim it is all about electing someone with Biafra ideology, but down into your hearts you know it is a lie. It is not about making Anambra state great and neither is it about Biafra. It is completely about your pocket alone. You all are out to make your pockets great.
You say you do not want state of emergency to be declared in Anambra state, but it is all lies. We know you all are recruits. How will they declare this state of emergency? By the way who told you people this is about Anambra state? Do you think it would have been different, had it been this election is to be conducted in Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi or Imo states? You said if we boycott, that we have shot ourselves on the leg and I ask how? The only way we can shoot ourselves on the leg is to vote in Anambra after the barbaric killing of our people in Abia State in the name of "Operation Python dance II". Does it mean Fulani controlled government can kill us without consequences? Have we forgotten just in a month time? How can we just forget? One tailor going to work in Aba was gunned down on his way to the market. Many more were killed. He was not an IPOB member. Just a business man going to his daily work. The military bullet hit him on the head and bursted into pieces his young head. Would you have voted if you were to be Imo, the Aba suits designer? Would you have voted had it been Imo is your brother, uncle, cousin or relation? Would you have voted after the governors you are campaigning for, instead of condemning the brutal killing and torture of IPOB members, rose from a meeting and proscribed them?
What is wrong with us?
Brothers and sisters, the world is watching. We need to totally boycott this election. Remember that our votes hardly counts. We voted for Rochas in his first tenure, can we say same about his second tenure? How did he manage to win? He won without you all. Coming out to vote was just what they need to legalize their rigging. You are afraid of Buhari appointing someone to man Anambra, but you have not bordered to think of what happened that made Buhari to appoint someone to rule Anambra. I told you that the world is watching, didn't I? Yes they are. They will know why Buhari appointed an unelected puppet to man Anambra. They will write on how indigenous people of Biafra boycotted Anambra election because they want to exit Nigeria. This will tell the world how serious we are. This will put shiver on Nigerian Fulani controlled government, and they will either agree to a referendum for Biafra or get disgraced come 2019, when we will boycott the presidential election.
If you are thinking this is us, against governor Willy Obiano or any other candidate, then you are missing it. Biafrans have nothing against anybody. Remember that in the rating of South East governors, you can not rate Obiano completely low. It is about freedom, about cutting of chains of slavery, it is about a stop to born to rule slogan and above all it is us, saying no to injustice. It is very unfortunate that all these are happening in the time of Obiano and other contestants. It is not our making, it is just that when it is Biafra, every other things are completely secondary and inconsequential.
I call on everybody to join hands to sensitize our people on the need to boycott this election. This is the time to make sacrifice for Biafra. Pick up your phone, call people at home and tell them about the need to have this election boycotted. The pythons are still with us, remember. They have not lost the taste for blood. Why risk your life all to vote in unproductive people?
Boycott this election and you would have helped in making our freedom possible.
Edited by Ebere Okolie
For Family Writers Press
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