IPOB Sit-At-Home: You Have Lost Legitimacy, Adegboruwa Tells S/East Govs

Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu
Adegboruwa has called on the Federal Government to change its
tactics in dealing with the so-called separatists like the
Indigenous Peoples of Biafra ( IPOB ) and Yoruba Nation agitators
if the success of Sit-at-Home order in the southeast geopolitical
zone on Monday is anything to rely upon.

He also asked the southeast Governors to resign from their
positions because they have lost their legitimacy to govern the
states if their citizens can obey the Sit-at-home orders of non
state actors like IPOB.

Adegboruwa who spoke on African Independent Television (AIT)
breakfast programme ‘Kakaaki’ on the topic: Self Determination
Struggles’ on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to trade softly
on the issues of civil disobedience and self-determination.

According to him, history has shown that use of force has never
stopped self-determination struggles as can be seen in the case of
former President of South Africa, ‘Madiba’ Nelson Mandela, who was
dehumanized and imprisoned but Black South Africans continued to
engage in both civil unrest and gorilla-warfare against the White
Rule until Mandela was released and later became President.

Adegboruwa said the total compliance to the IPOB Sit-at-home
order on Monday by the majority of the people of the southeast
extraction has once again shown that the arrest and detention of
their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will not stop the agitations.

Said he: “The level of success IPOB Sit-at-home order recorded
on Monday in the South East and the total compliance of similar
order early this year for the South East to mourn their people who
died in the civil war have shown everyone that the agitation is
beyond their leader.

“Again, this has brought us to the legitimacy of the southeast
Governors, I believe they have lost it because they don’t have
influence over their citizens. They are not in charge of the states
they claim to govern as the IPOB have more influence on the people
of southeast”.

On how to calm down the agitators in the South East, the fiery
lawyer said the agitators will continue unless the Nigerian
government tackles headlong those problems that gave birth to the
restiveness.

“Firstly, agitations in the South East were borne out of the
clear marginalization of the people of the region. This is the
third-largest ethnic group in Nigeria yet they have been treated as
outcasts. Even in the political discussions towards the 2023
Presidential Election, I have only heard how power should again go
to the North or South West. southeast has not been mentioned.

“Secondly, they are not being made to feel belonged in their own
country hence they are agitating and rightly so. But I will bet
that if their grievances are addressed such as the marginalization
and level of injustice meted out to them, the Biafran agitators
will disappear”, Adegboruwa insisted.

The Lagos lawyer, therefore, advised the Federal Government to
as a matter of urgency dialogue with the agitators through the
southeast leaders like the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor
George Obizor; Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe,
among others.

Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu
Adegboruwa has called on the Federal Government to change its
tactics in dealing with the so-called separatists like the
Indigenous Peoples of Biafra ( IPOB ) and Yoruba Nation agitators
if the success of Sit-at-Home order in the southeast geopolitical
zone on Monday is anything to rely upon.

He also asked the southeast Governors to resign from their
positions because they have lost their legitimacy to govern the
states if their citizens can obey the Sit-at-home orders of non
state actors like IPOB.

Adegboruwa who spoke on African Independent Television (AIT)
breakfast programme ‘Kakaaki’ on the topic: Self Determination
Struggles’ on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to trade softly
on the issues of civil disobedience and self-determination.

According to him, history has shown that use of force has never
stopped self-determination struggles as can be seen in the case of
former President of South Africa, ‘Madiba’ Nelson Mandela, who was
dehumanized and imprisoned but Black South Africans continued to
engage in both civil unrest and gorilla-warfare against the White
Rule until Mandela was released and later became President.

Adegboruwa said the total compliance to the IPOB Sit-at-home
order on Monday by the majority of the people of the southeast
extraction has once again shown that the arrest and detention of
their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will not stop the agitations.

Said he: “The level of success IPOB Sit-at-home order recorded
on Monday in the South East and the total compliance of similar
order early this year for the South East to mourn their people who
died in the civil war have shown everyone that the agitation is
beyond their leader.

“Again, this has brought us to the legitimacy of the southeast
Governors, I believe they have lost it because they don’t have
influence over their citizens. They are not in charge of the states
they claim to govern as the IPOB have more influence on the people
of southeast”.

On how to calm down the agitators in the South East, the fiery
lawyer said the agitators will continue unless the Nigerian
government tackles headlong those problems that gave birth to the
restiveness.

“Firstly, agitations in the South East were borne out of the
clear marginalization of the people of the region. This is the
third-largest ethnic group in Nigeria yet they have been treated as
outcasts. Even in the political discussions towards the 2023
Presidential Election, I have only heard how power should again go
to the North or South West. southeast has not been mentioned.

“Secondly, they are not being made to feel belonged in their own
country hence they are agitating and rightly so. But I will bet
that if their grievances are addressed such as the marginalization
and level of injustice meted out to them, the Biafran agitators
will disappear”, Adegboruwa insisted.

The Lagos lawyer, therefore, advised the Federal Government to
as a matter of urgency dialogue with the agitators through the
southeast leaders like the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor
George Obizor; Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe,
among others.