Leave Ekweremadu Alone, Ndigbo Warns Buhari, APC

Senator Ike Ekweremadu

  
An Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Izu-Umunna Cultural Association, and a think-thank of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned that it will hold President Mohammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible should anything happen to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

The group urged Buhari and APC, to accept the election of Ekweremadu as the will of God and stop heating up the polity.

The associations also asked the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, relocate the Boko Haram detainees from Ekwulobia prison facilities in the South East as the presence of those detainees is creating tension and further radicalising the youths in the South East.

In a resolution reached and signed by the groups President, Dr. Ugo Ihekuna and Secretary General, Chief Elvis Chukwu, the group declared that Boko Haram’s presence in the facility is like spreading the virus of terrorism to a region not known to such trend.

While attributing the distraction in the National Assembly to the handiwork of politicians who desire that things should always go their way, Umunna, affirmed the leadership qualities of the deputy senate president, adding that it is the right of the senators to choose who leads them an having being elected through the most transparent democratic process, the will of the senators must be respected.

The resolution, which was signed by the President, Dr. Ugo Ihekuna and Secretary General, Chief Elvis Chukwu,, said, "Izu-Umunna affirms that Senator Ike Ekweremadu is a trusted national leader and has in several ways provided leadership strength and acumen in the administration and legislative matters both in the National Assembly  and the Pan African Parliament."

It added, "We call on the leadership of APC to unconditional accept the will and decision  of all the Nigerian senators  and warn that the Igbo Nation will President Buhari and APC leadership responsible should anything happen to Ekweremadu as his election followed due process and manifested the collective will of his colleagues.

“The association also calls on the president and members of APC to stop overheating the polity and face the challenges presently confronting the country; insecurity, indiscriminate bombings and shooting of innocent citizens.”

On the issue of relocating Boko Haram detainees to the South East, ICA said that it felt the pains of the Ekwulobia community and called on the Federal Government to relocate them elsewhere as Ekwulobia prison is not a maximum security facility.

ICA said that relocating the detainees to South East meant spreading the virus of terrorism to other parts of the country that are yet to be affected as the youths of the region are getting radicalised an may be forced to take the laws into their hands.

The association said that some of the fears of transferring the detainees to the South East are that example abound where members of the sect had tried to break prison facilities and free their members, especially with the relaxation is checkpoints as the members of the sect now have easy passage to anywhere they want to strike.

The statement said, "We have examples in Kogi an Benue states where Boko Haram ran over prison facilities to release their members. Secondly the mere sight of these detainees among a people that see them as those who killed their relations in the North is enough to create tension and panic.