Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos state, has dismissed the suggestion that Igbo want to leave Nigeria.
Igbowe’s reaction comes on the heels of the call by a repentant Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo that the south-east should be allowed to leave the Nigerian entity as being clamoured by the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
According to a viral video released by Dokubo on Thursday, the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, NDVF, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to lead a constitutional amendment process that will make it possible for the Igbo to have a country of their own.
Dokubo said he’s prepared to gather one million signatories to make this possible, adding that the country has nothing to lose if they secede from Nigeria.
The former militant who has been under fire recently for the hate comments against the southeast, stated that peace will continue to elude the country so long the southeast remains part of the Nigerian entity.
He said, “Please, in the name of God, why do we allow this vicious cycle of irritation of people who claim to be victims when they are the oppressors and the people offending others? Let the Igbo go so that there will be enough resources for other people to manage.
“They don’t even need a referendum. The President and National Assembly should meet and someone courageous enough should sponsor a bill at the National Assembly. There should be a constitutional amendment. The five Igbo states and any group of people who want to join them should go.
“We have a lot to gain if we let these people go and turn their country into heaven on earth. Please, National Assembly, President Bola Tinubu, I am begging you, let the Igbo go so that we will rest and they too will rest and they should be barred from coming into our country.”
Reacting, Igbokwe, the Special Adviser to the Lagos state governor on Drainage said Igbo are not prepared for secession, noting that the agitation by a few disgruntled elements from the region is not a representation of the entire Igbo race.
He explained that his people have invested so much in the country as major stakeholders in the Nigerian project, noting that what the south east is demanding is justice as it would be wrong to “tell a man to quit his house.”
“Asari Dokubo doesn’t speak for us and if we need people to speak for us then it’s certainly not Dokubo. It’s we the Igbo that will speak for the Igbo people and most of you know our stance. The Igbo are not for secession because a lot is at stake. We are a critical stakeholder in Nigeria,” Igbokwe said.
He added, “We have made humongous investments across this country and we belong to Nigeria. You can’t tell a man to quit his house. All Igbo people want is social justice, equity and fairness and we have been talking about this since. The Igbo have the least number of states in Nigeria, the least number of commissioners and senators, and local government areas.”
