Former Ebonyi State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Silas Joseph Onu, has ignited widespread debate after reacting to a viral video showing South-West governors singing an Oduduwa-themed anthem during their regional meeting.
Onu, who reposted the video on his X handle, questioned what he described as Nigeria’s selective outrage when similar expressions come from the South-East.
“I am just imagining how the southwest and Northern Nigeria will react if the South East governors converge and openly recite Biafra anthem during their regional meeting,” he wrote.
Onu argued that while the mere mention of Biafra attracts instant condemnation, the South-West appears to be quietly positioning itself for a possible Oduduwa Republic—without being vilified.
“Truth is, I do believe the Southwest is seriously preparing itself for Oduduwa Republic at a non-partisan cooperation level. The developmental strides by this government in the Southwest are clearly designed to put in place necessary infrastructure for a Yoruba nation,” he stated.
He stressed that he is not opposed to such strategic preparation but demanded fairness.
“Let’s be clear, I am not opposed to that at all, but let’s not also be hypocritical towards the Southeast whenever Biafra is mentioned,” he noted.
“The Southeast is cursed by its political class” — Onu
Onu condemned political leaders in the South-East, accusing them of neglecting the region while focusing solely on personal wealth accumulation.
“Anyways, the Southeast is cursed by its self-serving political class, who are more concerned about how much they are able to add into their account and property portfolio, at the expense of the people they supposedly represent,” he lamented.
Warns that the region is unprepared if Nigeria collapses
The legal practitioner warned that the South-East would suffer the most if Nigeria eventually fails due to insecurity and corruption.
“If Nigeria fails — as signposted by publicly justified insecurity, glorified corruption and holy lies — the Southeast will be worse off because we are not prepared for nationhood outside Nigeria. The Southwest will easily and conveniently hit the ground running with its Oduduwa Republic,” he warned.
Onu ended by urging Igbo leaders to rethink their priorities.
“It is time those who lead the Southeast begin to use their tongue to count their teeth,” he said.
