Leaders of pro-Biafra organisations across the world met over the weekend to adopt the United Progressive Party (UPP) as Biafra’s national party in Nigeria.

The groups in its meeting in Enugu, where they were hosted by the leadership of the UPP, led by its national chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, vowed to take over the leadership of the old Biafran region, starting with Anambra.

It also announced the formation of its political movement in Nigeria, the Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN). “Since Nigeria has resolved to deny us the right to self-determination, we have also resolved that they can no more continue to decide who runs our ancestral nation of Biafra. Today, we resolve to take over our territory through political means. We are calling on pro-Biafrans today to join us and run for political positions. It’s our home and we shall win. Never again shall security forces kill our children in our homes because a stooge of the Nigerian state is the governor. Never again shall our people be subject to underdevelopment and lack of jobs and remain helpless. We shall vote in our own politicians and hold them responsible for quality governance in our land,” said Rita Anigboogu, the Coordinator-General of MOBIN, in an interview with newsmen.

Chekwas Okorie, Chairman of UPP, told newsmen that the relationship between his party and MOBIN, which is the mobilisation group of pro-Biafran activists, has been fully cemented. “This is the only political party, of all the parties registered under the Nigerian law that has a manifesto, a political ideology expressly expressed in its document registered with INEC that is a social contract with the Nigerian people. The party has made as its cardinal programme self determination of the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria through federalism, resource control, devolution of power. That also includes state police, community policing, referendum at any given time, that any section may wish to express its willingness to remain of exit from Nigeria.

“The government of UPP will build into the Nigerian constitution the provision for referendum, that is an exit clause as it is today in the constitution of Ethiopia. That has made Ethiopia more stable today than it was years ago when they were fighting each other. UPP is the only political party that has taken a decision to appropriate all the 660 recommendations of the 2014 national conference, all reached by national consensus, not by anyone side neglecting the other.

UPP has a programme, it is like an expo that cannot be copied by any other party. It’s a UPP brand, and that brand is self determination of any nationalities inclusive of the fact of all those who may have been arrested, detained or even sentenced to prison terms. Only on account of their political beliefs will be granted freedom with compensation, if UPP takes the government of Nigeria in 2019.”

London-based Barrister Emeka Emekesiri, solicitor for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who spoke to journalists also said: “Today is actually the day we came to cement the relationship between the UPP and MOBIN, in which case MOBIN has become the mobilisation agency for UPP, so the programme is that MOBIN will mobilise the entire old Eastern region and parts of the North Central and make them to vote Biafran candidates into power. Our mission is clear – we want Biafrans to take charge of the whole political space of Biafraland. MOBIN is now officially the mobilisation agency for UPP. We have adopted UPP as the national party for all Biafrans. We will mobilise our pro Biafran groups across the world to move into the UPP, and begin to prepare to take over the whole Biafra nation.”

Also speaking on the matter, Engineer Anthony Aniebue, Administrator of the Customary Government of the IPOB revealed: “We cemented our relationship of working together with the UPP, in making sure that we enthrone Biafranism in all Biafraland, that we take over Biafran political environment through political process, that from the Biafran angle we have what we call the Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria. We are Biafrans by indigenous identity, but we are still Nigerians struggling for our freedom. Between now and the shortest possible time when we hope to restore Biafran nation and country, we are still Nigerian. Within that time, we want to make sure that we have Biafran people representing Biafra, Biafrans in thoughts, Biafrans in action, Biafrans in deed. What we have come here to do is to have a working relationship with United Progressive Party, a party that has identified itself with the Biafran project-of self determination, of emancipation and the freedom of Biafran people living in Nigeria. That political platform which we have endorsed today, with which we have a working relationship is the UPP. From now henceforth, what we want to project are all Biafrans that want to pursue their political ambitions. We want to offer them MOBIN, we want to offer them UPP, and upon UPP, we will take over Biafraland politically.”

He continued: “We know that, as people agitate for freedom, in whichever way you try to actualise it, that even if you are in the forest fighting a war, or leading a violent campaign, that act certain points time, there must be a round table discussion. That roundtable is what we call political solution. That political solution is what we are embarking on today, and we want to use it to stop the slaughtering of our fellow Biafrans on the streets. From the time of cessation of hostilities in 1970 till date, Biafra has lost not less than 3 to 4 million Biafrans that the Nigerian people have killed. It cannot happen if the Biafrans are in charge of our governance.

“What we are doing today is to take over our governance, take over the political administration of Biafraland, so that our children can no longer be killed. Where a governor comes out and says he is the Chief Security Officer, yet he is in the office while his citizens are slaughtered, and he will say nothing. Is he really a CSO of that state? So what we are doing is to ensure that henceforth, no one is killed on the streets of Biafra anymore.”

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