‘Drop guns, pick ballots’ – Ex-presidential aide urges IPOB to seek Biafra politically

ABUJA – Former Director of Strategy and Communications to President Goodluck Jonathan, Jackson Ude, has criticized the Federal Government and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) over the ongoing violence and killings in the South East.

He accused the authorities of neglecting the rights and safety of Igbo citizens while condemning IPOB’s sit-at-home policy as counterproductive and harmful to the people it claims to protect.

In a statement signed by Ude, he described the continuous killing of innocent Igbo people under the guise of enforcing a sit-at-home order as irresponsible and dangerous.

He argued that such actions deny people their means of livelihood, especially amid widespread poverty and hunger, and escalate insecurity in the region. He also warned that further inaction could lead to the emergence of other insurgent groups, deepening the crisis in the South East.

The communication expert called for a political solution to the Biafra agitation, urging agitators to channel their energy into democratic processes. He suggested setting up a political platform to elect representatives who could push for a referendum on the matter through legislative means.

Ude also criticized the government for failing to protect citizens from violence, describing its response as despicable and irresponsible. He expressed disappointment in the silence of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, over the bloodshed, urging them to take a stand against the killings.

Additionally, Ude advocated for the immediate release of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that his release could help end the enforcement of the sit-at-home orders and ease tensions in the region. He stressed that the suffering of the people must stop to prevent further chaos.

He said, “The continuous killing of Igbos by Igbos under the guise of enforcing a ‘sit-at-home’ order to press for a Biafra State is highly irresponsible and condemned. All well-meaning and patriotic Igbos must rise up in unison and condemn the wanton killing of Igbos in South East Nigeria.”

“Our people have not done any wrong going about in search of their daily bread at a time poverty and hunger has enveloped the country. How does it make sense to continue denying the people you seek to protect their daily means of livelihood by enforcing a ‘sit-at-home’ order, turn around and kill them, and then claim to be protecting them.

“The most civil way to achieve this Biafra State is to use a political party platform, elect people into the State Houses of Assembly in the South, and have them all sign a referendum for a Biafra State. The idea that a Biafra State can be achieved through a ‘sit-at-home’ order and the continuous killing of our people is not only childish but criminal.

“And to have the Federal Government watch and allow citizens from the South East denied their rights to freedom and killed without appropriate measures to protect them is despicable, irresponsible, and dangerous. I am also thoroughly disappointed in the lackluster attitude and the silence of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo while our people are killed by a few armed individuals.

“The bloodshed is too much, and the suffering of the people who are in double jeopardy must be halted. We must intensify the call for the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This is one way the shenanigans of the ‘sit-at-home’ enforcers would end. If this does not stop, another insurgent group might begin the protection of our people from the ‘sit-at-home’ enforcers, a situation that might throw the whole region into serious chaos. Igbos have suffered enough!”