The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, says Ndigbo can’t be forced out of Nigeria and would do so only when it wants.
It stated this in reaction to the coalition of northern groups suit filed before the Federal High Court Abuja asking it to exit South-East from Nigeria “because of violence and destruction being allegedly occasioned by the agitation for secession championed by IPOB.”
Ohanaeze spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, described the so-called coalition as mischief-makers, adding that Igbos have identity and originality more than them.
He, however, stated that nobody is a superior or senior partner to the project Nigeria, and to that extent, no person or group had a right to act as senior or superior partner to project Nigeria.
“And because no group has right whatsoever to ask another to go or to ask another to leave Nigeria, Igbos have as much right in Nigeria as any other ethnic group. And to that extent, Igbos will leave Nigeria only when they wish to do so but not on the instrumentality of another group.
“On the other hand, Igbo has sacrificed much more than any other group for the corporate existence of Nigeria. I repeat, Igbos have sacrificed much more than any other group for the corporate existence of Nigeria and it is not in doubt. So, if any group should talk about ownership of the country it is those who have sacrificed more.”
Recall that the coalition of Northern Groups had filed a case asking the court to compel the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives to hasten the exit of the South-eastern region out of Nigeria.
They pleaded that this should be done before the conclusion of the ongoing amendment to Nigeria’s constitution.
The secession request was contained in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2021 instituted by the group of elders and politicians from the North led by Nastura Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’I, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam.
In their suit, they argued that allowing the Igbo to secede would end violence and destruction in the South-East.
