By Adesina Soyooye
A two-term Governor of Anambra State, and the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 Presidential election, Peter Obi, has raised an alarm of plans to link him to a Biafra secession movement. He said the plan was to say he is financially sponsoring a Biafran secession group, in order to hang him for good.
Even though no group was mentioned, the only serious group angling for the secession of the South-east from Nigeria, is the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.
IPOB, whose leader is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was proscribed by the Federal Government, with the full support of South-east Governors. The only South-east Governor not in office at the time of proscription is Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
Obi who revealed the plan to drag him into the unprecedented insecurity mess in the country, said in a statement issued on Friday by his Media Office, and signed by his Special Adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, that the aim was to blackmail him. He also revealed that the plan is being coordinated by serving South- east Governor whose name was not mentioned in the statement.
Very soon, the statement said, a group will address a Press Statement, and mention Obi as a financial backer of the group fighting for the secession of the South-east from Nigeria.
Obi’s allegation may not be untrue. In 2015 when he was the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, at least, three Governors of the South-east were against him. While one was prepared to offer the sum of one billion Naira to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to pick, against Obi, as a running mate, a former very high profile Banker and Economist, the other, was like: “Why Obi, why not me”?
The result: Even though the PDP won in the South-east, the number of votes it got was not overwhelming, compared to the number of registered voters.
Obi’s Media Office:
“The present effort to blackmail Mr. Obi is by some prominent Nigerians, including a present Governor in the South-East.
“Our informant, whom we have no reason to doubt, revealed how five of them were invited to a meeting on how to nail Mr. Peter Obi so that, according to him, his ‘rising profile will be dimmed for good’,” Obienyem said in the statement.
The informant, the statement said, asked Obi to: “Watch out; soon you will see a group call a world press conference, speak of the insecurity in the land, appeal to anybody with information on the causes to help the Government solve it and finally drop the bomb by linking Mr. Peter Obi to the sponsorship of the Biafran movement through offer of money to sustain the agitation and use of Biafran boys for selfish end, including winning of elections.
“Though our informant refused to disclose the name of the Governor behind this and the main person he is using, he assured: “In the fullness of time, the plot will unfold and the characters will become apparent on its own.”
However, according to Obienyem, a number of those involved in the insidious plot are opting out, as they were no longer comfortable with dragging an innocent man into such a dangerous political game.
“Most of the previous efforts to blackmail Mr. Obi by some prominent people through hired hands backfired, because the truth eventually prevailed”, he said, emphasising: “The present plot to make trouble for an innocent man will similarly come to nought as far as Almighty God remains on the throne.”
The plot to allegedly drag Obi into the secessionist group comes when the Federal Government says it has a list of a number of high profile Nigerians involved in the plan to destabilise the country by sponsoring insecurity.
It said it was following up on leads, and would soon make the names public. “Nobody involved, no matter how highly placed, will be spared”, the FG warned.
