The presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 election, Peter Obi has rejected the terrorist tag slammed on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the federal government.
Naija News reports IPOB under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu was in 2017, proscribed by the federal government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.H
However, during a chat with Channels Television, Obi maintained that proscribing IPOB as a terrorist organization is not the right move.
Defending his stand, the former Anambra State government explained that he lives, moves and interacts with members of the group who are demanding an independent Biafra and has never felt threatened by them.
According to Obi, the agitators are not a threat to Nigeria.
He said; “The only thing I disagree with is naming IPOB terrorists; they are not terrorists. Those who took the decision may have information that I don’t have.
“I stay in Onitsha, and I can tell you that they are people I pass them on the road every day.
“I meet and live with them; in fact, I usually see people gathering, and I have never had the sense of threat or molestation from them, even when they gather.”
IPOB Is Different From Bandits
Naija News recalls Obi had similarly in September this year, submitted that groups agitating to leave Nigeria including IPOB are not the same as bandits.
This is as he promised to relate with the two groups differently as they don’t represent the same thing.
According to Obi, the agitators need to be brought to the table for discussions but bandits are criminals that need to be dealt with accordingly as offenders.
Naija News reports the presidential hopeful made the submission on Wednesday during an interview on Arise TV’s prime time programme.
This article was originally published on Naija News
