President Osibanjo's violation of UN/AU laws, unacceptable to IPOB
We the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under
the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu condemn unequivocally the distasteful
statement credited to the acting President of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osibanjo,
to the effect that Biafra agitators who through the instrumentality of IPOB are
exercising their God given and inalienable right to self determination, is in
violation of the provisions of the General Abdulsalami Abubakar 1999
Constitution of Nigeria.
For such a statement to escape the lips of a learned fellow like
Prof. Osinbajo confirms the widely held view that African leaders lack the
mental capacity and discipline to operate a constitutional democracy in a
modern world. If the corrupt ruling classes in Nigeria cannot distinguish
between those rights that are sacrosanct, such as freedom of association and
freedom of expression under which IPOB operates, then the entire political
edifice in Nigeria is a monumental mess.
It is very shameful that a professor of law cannot situate the
Nigeria constitution within the context and meaning of the right to self-determination
as recognized in international law. Somebody should please draw the attention
of Professor Yemi Osibanjo to the provisions of the Africa Charter on Human and
Peoples Rights which Nigeria ratified and went ahead to domesticate into her
local laws. How can a professor of law threaten jail term for those exercising
their right to self determination under laws adopted and ratified by Nigeria?
This confirms again the widely held view that legal practice in Nigeria is one
almighty joke. We are challenging Prof. Osinbajo to show the whole world how,
where and when IPOB committed this offence he alluded to since the inception of
the current phase of the agitation.
The criminal political cabal that led President Buhari astray on
the issues of Biafra agitation are at it again. By assuring Osinbajo that
threatening language, mass arrests, illegal detention, killings and brutal
crackdown will frighten IPOB into submission, this same group of corrupt
criminals are setting up Osinbajo to fail the same way they caused Buhari’s
failure. If Osinbajo continues to heed their evil counsel by using threatening
language when addressing IPOB he will end up a failure like Buhari. Nigeria
must understand how ready we are to go to prison. They should build more
illegal detention facilities because we cannot stop agitating for our right to self-determination
until the Nigerian government accepts the need for a date for referendum on the
question of Biafra.
Professor Yemi Osibanjo should have consulted superior legal
minds to advice him before coming on air to make such misleading comments. The
Nigerian Constitution and its provisions cannot supersede international
charters and treaties freely entered into by the Nigerian state where such
treaties appear to render null and void the obnoxious provisions of the
Nigerian Constitution. Those that wrongly advised Prof. Osinbajo to embark upon
the citation of the ill conceived constitutional reference to the
indissolubility of the Nigeria, should refer to the landmark Nigerian Supreme
Court judgment on the case of Abacha Vs. Fawehinmi. United Nations charter on
the rights of indigenous people and African charter, which was ratified and
signed by Nigeria, are still in place till today and overrides the Nigerian
Constitution.
We are warning the vocal few rented saboteurs and uneducated
public commentators in Nigeria to stop the perverse insinuation that Biafra
agitation is all about war. IPOB is not asking for war, rather what we are
asking for is self-determination and the only way to achieve that is through
the internationally recognized instrument of referendum.
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL
MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.