‘Kanu is the wrong man to lead Biafra’ – Pro-Biafran activist hints at IPOB fracture

A staunch Biafra activist has expressed his disappointment, Sunday over the activities of the self-acclaimed Biafra secessionist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, following reports that the latter is on the run after the Nigerian army raided his home in Afaraukwu, Abia State last week.

The activist, who chose to remain unnamed, expressed his bitterness at Kanu’s “stubbornness”, which he believes has “set the Biafran cause back several years”.

In a memo which the said activist claimed he sent to Kanu after he was released from the prison, a “way forward” for Igbos in Nigeria, involving “intellectuals” and “respected elders” was included, as the activist advised Kanu to “carry everyone along” in his approach.

The army’s attack on Kanu’s home, his apparent escape and the subsequent declaration of the group as a “militant terrorist organisation” by the military would seem to be a game changer for the political calculus in the region.

Though no one is quite sure about the number of casualties from the raid, several people, who are sympathetic to the Biafran cause including activists, have begun to question the cause and whether IPOB supporters killed by the army have died in vain.

According to the activist, the memo he sent to Kanu pointed out that 60 percent of Igbos supported Biafra, but 40 percent didn’t. Therefore it was necessary for the Biafran dream to be parked until all dissenters were brought onboard.

Instead of campaigning for separation, he advised Kanu to work with Igbo “intellectuals” and “respected elders” such as former vice president Alex Ekwueme, constitutional lawyer and professor Ben Nwabueze and others to articulate a “restructuring” programme for Nigeria that would lead to the “development” of the southeast region.

It can be recalled that the embattled leader of Nigeria’s secessionist Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, who has been advocating for the secession of the mainly Igbo southeast Nigerian states, seemed to have grown into near-mythical status following his arrest by the government in October 2015, long detention and release on bail in April this year.

Since he was released from Kuje Prison, Kanu has drawn massive support at pro-Biafran rallies and many Igbo leaders and politicians have lined up to pay homage to an increasingly important and influential figure.

The unnamed activist felt disappointed when Kanu ignored his advice, saying that the adulation from supporters got to Kanu’s head and he began acting like a demigod.

Hence, he became disgusted with Kanu and the IPOB supporters that genuflected before him, insisting, “I believe in Biafra. I’m Biafra through and through. But Kanu was the wrong man to lead the movement.”

The activist further claimed that Kanu lacked the intellect, character and disposition for leadership.

In his words, “this was a guy that didn’t amount to much before he became involved in Radio Biafra”. Radio Biafra was an online station from where Kanu, then based in London, rose to infamy as a shock jock before his arrest during a visit to Nigeria. The pro-Biafran activist said Kanu had worked in Dublin, Ireland as a cleaner before getting the Radio Biafra gig.”

It is not quite clear how the events of the past two weeks will pan out with IPOB labelled a terrorist group and their leader on the run. But the activist, once one of Kanu’s strongest allies, now believes that the movement is on the ropes and it would be a struggle to recover.