The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing on Sunday threatened to label the All Progressives Congress an ‘anti-Igbo political party’ if it fails to apologise to a former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, within 48 hours.
The threat, which the Ohanaeze Youth Wing issued in a statement jointly signed by its National Secretary, Emmanuel Nnabuike, and Publicity Secretary, Obinna Adibe, followed the APC’s call for Iherjika’s prosecution over alleged sponsorship of the Boko Haram sect.
The APC demanded Ihejirika’s prosecution in the wake of claims made by Australian negotiator, Mr. Stephen Davies.
In the statement titled, “Ongoing Attempts To Brand Gen. Ihejirika a Boko Haram Sponsor,” the Ohanaeze youths described Davies’ claims as “spurious.”
The group expressed regrets that the APC did not bother to ascertain the veracity of the negotiator’s allegations before calling for Ihejirika’s prosecution.
Ohanaeze youths noted that Ihejirika deserved an apology from the APC since the Department of State Security had absolved him of complicity in the sponsorship of the Boko Haram sect
“It is on record that the same people trying to frame up Gen. Ihejirika are the same people who claimed they would make Nigeria ungovernable for President Jonathan in the aftermath of the 2011 presidential election.
“We view the call for Ihejirika’s trial by the All Progressives Congress through its spokesman-Alhaji Lai Mohammed, without bothering to confirm the authenticity of the statement, as malicious and premeditated.
“Now that the Department of State Security has officially absolved Ihejirika of any complicity in the matter, we ask the APC to issue an apology to Gen. Ihejirika and Ndigbo within 48 hours.
“If they fail to do so, the APC shall be formally labeled an anti-Igbo party and other sanctions shall follow,” Ohanaeze youths said.
Continuing, the group described Davies as a mercenary. [eap_ad_2] “Security is too weighty a matter to be politicized. Therefore it is unpatriotic for political leaders to embark on character assassination based on unsubstantiated and misguided rumours.
“Dr Stephen Davies has shown himself to be a mercenary, whose stock in trade is the distortion of information in order to cause chaos, thereby creating more business for himself,” the group said.
Ohanaeze youth wing added that Davies employed “cheap propaganda tactics” by naming Ihejirika alongside a former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, who had been linked with the emergence and sponsorship of Boko Haram as the sect’s sponsor in order to lend credence to his claims in the eyes of “gullible members of the public.”
The group noted that Davies did not proffer a single shred of evidence or motivation for Ihejirika, a Christian and an Igbo from the South-East, to sponsor Boko Haram.
Further casting doubt on Davies’ claims, the group noted that his allegation that the Central Bank of Nigerian official who handled the funding of Boko Haram was an uncle to three of the Nyanya bombing suspects. “He was equally disproved by the DSS thereby showing his story to be faulty.
“It is uncharitable for Nigerians to reward someone who laid down his life in the defence of his country by associating him with the sponsorship of the sect,” Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing said.[eap_ad_3]
