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Opposition from House mounts against Saraki over sympathy for IPOB

Published

9 years ago

September 23, 2017

A group called the Progressive Caucus in the House of Reps has criticised Senate President Bukola Saraki for his views on the proscription of IPOB, more.

The group on a statement described Saraki’s position as shocking.

The senate president on Monday said the military declaration—and even the Southeast Governors Forun proscription—of the secessionist group as a terrorist organisation was unconstitutional.

But Tuesday, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives Alhassan Doguwa criticised the senate leader, and Friday, the Progressive Caucus issued its own statement.

“In fact, a clear pattern of overt support to the leader of the terrorist group had since been established under the watch of the Senate President, for some time now,” the caucus said.

“Is the senate president unaware of the more than 1,900 Internally Displaced Persons presently taking refuge at the Aba Central Mosque, the more than 800 IDPs now sheltering in the Aba central police station after the gruesome murder of its Divisional Police Officer and his men?”

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According to them, Saraki endorsed the murderous activities of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), based on arguments that are bereft of reason, rationality or logic.

“In fact, a clear pattern of overt support to the leader of the terrorist group had since been established under the watch of the Senate President, for some time now.”

They also cited how Dep. Sen. President Ike Ekweremadu hosted, and put the full paraphernalia of his office – bullet-proof cars, uniformed policemen and operatives of the department of the state security service (DSS), and full complement of his staff on our nation’s payroll, to give solidarity and support to a secessionist leader facing treason charges for levying war against Nigerians and the Nigerian state.

They accused Saraki of trying to win cheap political points by closing his eyes to this and other incidents in Riversm Aba, and Asaba, and inciting an armed group against the state.