Apparently angered by the inability of the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to visit and sympathize with family since the invasion of their home by soldiers on September 27, 2017 which led to the loss of several persons in Afaraukwu autonomous community and the recent by Ikpeazu that their father, Eze Israel Kanu would soon return home, the family of the revered Umuahia traditional ruler has warned the state governor over politicizing their father’s sudden disappearance.
Eze Kanu, who is the biological father of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu has been declared missing after the invasion of their country home and his whereabouts unknown to his community and family members, but Governor Ikpeazu in a meeting with some members of Eze Kanu’s community at the Umuahia Government House reportedly promised them that the traditional ruler would be home as Southeast Governors are working assiduously to ensure that Eze Kanu is reunited with his family members before the New Year.
This however, didn’t go down well with members of Eze Kanu’s family and IPOB leader’s supporters as they at the weekend cautioned Ikpeazu against playing politics with their father’s whereabouts.
Spokesman of Kanu’s family, Prince Emmanuel Kanu in a chat with journalists urged Ikpeazu to “look for better ways to entertain his guests and not use Kanu as a campaign slogan for his re-election bid and to score cheap political points.”
Younger Kanu also called on the governor to be mindful of his utterances concerning the whereabouts of the monarch and other family members still not seen since the struck of the military in the peace-loving community.
Emmanuel also wondered why “the governor didn’t think it was wise to visit the family over the last one year that our father, mother and brother disappeared suddenly. And now, he is making them his campaign tools.’’
“It is a kind of shocking, in fact let me make this clear, (Gov Okezie) Ikpeazu should leave the Kanu’s family out of his second term project and that’s as simple as that. The governor’s comment I consider it as an afterthought. No amount of hypocrisy would exonerate Ikpeazu and his South East counterparts from culpability to be honest with you, over the invitation of the military for the Python Dance.
“The governor was present in Umuahia when the operation took place and soon after the invasion, there was something he said that was all over the place. He said that he sacrificed the family of Kanu to save Biafra land; that he averted war in Biafra land by sacrificing Nnamdi Kanu, that was what he said. He wants to identify with Nnamdi Kanu now, but funny enough, when Nnamdi Kanu was incarcerated, he never visited him in prison. Nor after, so, it’s shocking what he is saying.
“That is a political statement; you know the way some politicians behave. He shouldn’t think that we can easily be deceived by hiring his supporters from our community to visit him in Government House and making sorts of flowery comments about our family; you know, its just about politics. If you look at the list of those that went to see him, no elite from my community was there. The president general never attended, the traditional prime minister never attended too.
“Of course, yes of course because this is all about election, it’s all about campaign. How come you (Ikpeazu) have not done anything, you’ve not said anything, you’ve (Ikpeazu) not visited the community since after the invasion, all of a sudden you started talking of bringing my father back, from where? How come that any sensible man having children will leave his house to go and visit as a king; its impossible, it’s not done anywhere. That gathering was not genuine.
“So, all along we’ve been talking about the whereabouts of my father, he never said anything my brother, he never said anything. How come suddenly nearing election period Ikpeazu is summoning people and telling them about the return of my father. So, all along, he’s been in custody of my parents and my brother as well, so, he should tell the world where they are. The thing is this, you invaded a community, you destroyed them, you never visited again and all of a sudden, you went and mobilized handful of people to come to Government House where you issued what I may call political talk to them, trying to entice them, trying to get them along to vote for you.
“He is not saying the truth, of course everybody knows that he is lying, I keep saying this. If you look at the record of those who went to see Ikpeazu, they were a handful of people that were picked. Of course you know because of the level of hunger in the land, people can do the unthinkable, it is well understood. They never went to see Ikpeazu because they wanted to see Ikpeazu, they went to see him probably because of what they could get from him, but that is the simple truth. I’m not against anybody who wants to visit Ikpeazu, but they should remove my family’s name from it, they should not play politics with Nnamdi Kanu or father’s name.
“I do not know his whereabouts and I cannot be so sure, but since Ikpeazu has said that, I think IPOB is in a better position now to ask Ikpeazu to tell them about the whereabouts of my parents. As to visit the governor, I can’t visit the governor, a governor who came to my house and killed my people and never visited my community again, why would I go and visit him? I’m mourning.
“So, if the governor wants, the community is there, why can’t he come and visit the community and explain to them what really happened? Why would a handful of people go to meet the governor in the first place? I will find it difficult to go and see the governor.
“If anybody wants to discuss about my parents, the person should come to our house and meet me and not me going to meet the person because that was where the operation took place. That was where my people were killed. So, the person should also come to the house and meet me, I won’t go and see anyone.”
Another member of the IPOB who gave his name as Chukwuemeka in a separate chat without reporter said it was unfortunate that after many months of the invasion of Kanu’s home, Ikpeazu was yet to visit the family, but he rather chose to tell the world how he is going to get out the monarch with his colleagues from where they hid him.
“What is the distance from Government House to Kanu’s father’s residence? If the governor is truly sincere with what he is saying, why have they not come to tell the world over these while that Eze Kanu is alive and that they know where he is?
“Why is the governor coming out now that we are approaching election to say that he is going to bring the monarch back? If he brings the monarch back, is he still going to bring Kanu back? I am sure that his advisers didn’t advice him well before he came out to make a statement that I am convinced that he made because he is trying to do everything that he can to be popular.
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“Like Buhari, the popularity of Ikpeazu has dropped drastically since 2015 and he is doing all that he could to get it back. That will not happen, I can assure you that. If Ikpeazu is by his statement at the meeting with Afaraukwu people is telling us that he and other five eastern state governors are working to ensure that Nnamdi Kanu’s father is still alive, I am sure that the governor and his colleagues should also know Nnamdi Kanu is.”
