From: Paul Osuyi, Asaba

Leaders of the pro-Biafra group, the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in Delta south and central senatorial district have urged eligible voters in Anambra State not to boycott the forthcoming governorship election.

The MASSOB leaders described the call to boycott the election as anti-Igbo which should be condemned by well-meaning Igbo sons and daughters.

In a statement jointly signed by MASSOB Elder-in-Council, Joseph Odikpo, and Director of Religious Affairs, Pastor Francis Chigbo, the group also insisted that the call for referendum was belated, adding that the Biafra referendum has since been conducted before the United Nations in 2004 when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was president.

“When Biafra leaders submitted their bill of right to the united nation, Nigerian government was summoned by the United Nations where they were told that a section of the country wants to go away and, it was then the news was broken to the whole world.

“MASSOB leader, Dr. Ralph Uwazuruike and the United Nations then came to a conclusion by supporting the struggle and thus declared the first sit-at-home order across Igbo land.

“Consequently, anybody calling for the boycott of the election in Anambra State for the purpose of referendum does not know how far the stage the struggle has reached.

“We hereby call on the people in the twenty-one local government areas of the state to come out en-mmas and vote any candidate of their choice.

“We have gone far in this struggle. Anybody trying to draw us back should be regarded as enemy of Biafra. Actualization of the struggle is already a business done without further stress.

“Above all, we are also calling on every other group who are aspiring to be in Biafra government to understand the principles of the struggle so that they will be beneficiaries of the struggle,” they added.