On Sunday the splinter group of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ohaneze General Assembly Worldwide, said the call by the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB for sit-at-home on October 1 is big insult to the first President of Nigeria, late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and the country.
The group called on the people of Southeast to ignore such call and go about their normal businesses
In a statement Sunday in Awka, Anambra State, by Basil Onuorah, President General of the group, condemned such call by the pro-Biafra agitators.
The Corporate Affairs Commission had withdrawn the registration of Ohaneze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide shortly after its registration.
The group described a sit-at-home- order on a day the country was marking her independence anniversary as an insult to Azikiwe and others who achieved the country’s freedom in 1960.
It said: “A call for sit at-home on Nigeria’s Independence Day (October 1st), in South- East zone of the country is an aberration and insult to Igbo heroes who fought for Nigeria’s independence with all their might.
“The efforts of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and all our heroes past can never be in vain. Ndigbo in Nigeria and the diaspora are hereby enjoined to ignore any purported order for sit-at-home on October 1st 2020.
“The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo General Assembly Worldwide states firmly that the organization is not in support of the October 1st sit -at-home order.
“Any publication or gathering in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo anywhere in Nigeria or abroad without the due approval or recognition by the current National Executive of ONGAW amounts to impersonation and such conveners will be decisively dealt with. All Security Agencies are hereby informed to please take note.”
IPOB had declared a sit-at-home on October 1, stating the decision was to avert possible mass killing of the people of the area who might gather to celebrate Nigeria’s 60th Independence.
President of the main stream Ohaneze Ndigbo in Anambra State, Chief Damian Okeke -Ogene, had distanced the apex Igbo group from IPOB’s call.
He said Ohaneze had no control over pro Biafran agitators, adding that each group had their different modus of operations.
