The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has insisted that a referendum must be conducted to prepare the stage for the final exit of the Igbo from the rest of Nigeria.
Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, CNG spokesperson, in a statement on Sunday, said the CNG
which demanded a referendum for the actualization of the independent state of Biafra for the Igbo as the only guarantee for a peaceful future and alerted on the dangers of the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is addressing you once again, on the ensuing situation in Nigeria since then.
“In our earlier submission, we highlighted the conceivable implications of the uttered threats and practical steps being taken by the Igbo under the cover of IPOB.
“We note that following our demand for a referendum as the only option, some South East militant IPOB members continue to foment hateful violence against other ethnicities and the Nigerian State, a handful of South East leaders began a frantic move to cover their complicity in the atrocities by denouncing IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
“We note also that while on hand, these South East leaders pretend to denounce IPOB, on another hand, they are working to give legitimacy to the IPOB militant wing, the Eastern Security Network which they renamed Ebubeagu.
“The extent of deception also becomes apparent in the way these southeast leaders give the appearance of dissociating themselves from the Biafran violent agitation and at the same time vehemently attempt to support and justify IPOB’s brand of self-determination bid premised on false claims of marginalization.”
CNG therefore, observed that despite the desperation for a cover-up by the southeast leaders, “the CNG ultimately arrived at the following inevitable observations:
“That the refutal is a belated desperation to run away from a raging fire they fanned with their own hands by several years of indoctrinating their youth with the hate of the North in particular and the whole of Nigeria in general.
“That the desperation amounts to yet another attempt to buy time to restrategise for another onslaught by deceiving the rest of Nigerians into believing them.
That the rest of Nigeria particularly the North, must not allow themselves to fall into another trap of believing the lies, deceit, and falsehood of the Igbo leaders that cannot be supported by the prevailing reality.
“That in reality, despite the southeast leaders caught in this web of desperate refutal are mere paper tigers whose collective might is clearly subdued able by Kanu who can order the shutdown of all activities in the entire five states of the South East.”
They maintained that “for the avoidance of doubt, the Coalition of Northern Groups states here that the North will no longer be deceived by the antics of the proteges of those who assassinated its forefathers and threw the entire country into a ruinous civil war that has set the stage for the current confusion and national decadence.
“We categorically hold the refutal by the southeast leaders unacceptable and insist that a referendum must be conducted to prepare the stage for the final exit of the Igbo from the rest of Nigeria that has never engaged in such violent agitations for breakup at any time.
“That since the bulk of the active support for the violent Igbo secession is from those within the 50 year age bracket with a dangerous mindset developed by wrong teachings over a long period, it is inconceivable for the rest of Nigerians, particularly the North, to accept to continue coexisting with them at the risk of major conflicts that could lead to another civil war.”
