BEVERLY HILLS, May 30, (THEWILL) – Former Kaduna governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has stated that the manner of agitation carried out by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, is worse than that of the Coalition of Northern Youths, CNY.
In what they termed ‘Kaduna declaration’ on June 5, 2017, the coalition handed a three-month ultimatum for the Igbo residing in the North to leave the region even as it ordered northerners in the South-East to immediately start returning to their various states.
Arewa Youths Give Igbo Three Months To Leave Northern Nigeria Or Be ‘Mopped Up’
The Arewa youths threatened to commence the implementation of “visible actions” at the expiration of the ultimatum to prove they are no longer part of a federal union that includes the Igbo. They vowed to do this through an “effective, peaceful and safe mop-up of all the remnants of the stubborn Igbos that neglect to heed this quit notice” as from the 1st of October 2017.
Drawing a comparison between this threat and the activities of Kanu-led IPOB, Makarfi, while being interviewed on Friday at a live television programme on Channels Television, said Kanu’s approach was more infuriating than that of the northern youths. He however pointed out that he was not in support of the eviction notice.
When asked why the Arewa youths had not received enough condemnation, the PDP factional chairman said, “What he (Kanu) is doing is different from what the youth in the North have done. The youth in the North, may be 10 or 15, did a press conference.
“Nnamdi Kanu is holding people to ransom, bringing economic activities to a standstill, holding what will look like a mini rally. None of that is happening in any part of this country. All the leaders in the South-East have said yes we have concerns but the way you are going about it is wrong.
“The northern boys are just press (sic) and they dispersed, period. I am not in support of what they did but I am talking of the manner of their action. Whereas Nnamdi Kanu and his people are consistently holding people to economic hostage and at a particular time, they held the South-East down for a day.
“You don’t find such not just in the North but any other part of the country. You cannot behave that way.”
Makarfi commended leaders of the South-East who came out to state categorically that Kanu lacks the authority to speak for the Igbo, noting that agitations are legal but must be done with decorum, devoid of hate speeches.
“We cannot wish away any agitation, but as part of the South-East, let them come together and approach the government for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference report and demand an amendment of the part that is of concern to the South-East but that amendment must also be generally accepted by Nigerians,” he said.
The former governor went on to lend his support to calls for the restructuring of Nigeria but pointed out that the terms must be clearly spelt out because different people had diverse opinions of what constitutes a restructuring of the country.
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