An elder statesman and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, on Tuesday, said nobody can sack him from the party, noting that he is a life member of the party’s Board of Trustees.
He also stated that he has committed his winner time working for the success of the party.
Speaking during a visit by the caretaker committee of the Imo state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in his office in Owerri, the party chieftain said he was made a life BOT member of the PDP because of his commitment to growing the party.
He said, “I did not say I regretted voting for the PDP during the Imo state governorship election in 2019.
I did not also say I regretted voting for an Owerri zone man during the 2019 governorship election. I was quoted wrongly in the media and, because of this, a pack of riffraff has been calling for my sack from the PDP.
“No riffraff can sack me from the PDP. I am a life BOT member of the PDP. I know the prominent role I played in making sure that the party won the 2019 Imo governorship election.”
Earlier, the chairman of the caretaker committee of NUJ in the state, Precious Nwadike, said the union was happy with the elder statesman’s role in maintaining peace in the society.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) has described Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu as one of the South-East politicians that retarded the development of the region.
The pro-Biafra group said the elder statesman remained one of the reasons “Alaigbo is underdeveloped”, adding that “his treachery and greed contributed hugely in retarding development of Igbo land.”
The group stated this on Monday in a statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful.
Iwuanyanwu had in an earlier statement accused the Nnamdi Kanu led IPOB of endangering Ndigbo and their investment in Nigeria by its activities.
But in its response, IPOB said the Igbo had since been endangered in Nigeria.
It said the claim by Iwuanyanwu was shameful and cowardly and ”smacks of his ignorance of the real genesis of the danger to Igbo investments in Nigeria.”
IPOB statement read in detail, “How many federal contracts were awarded to him (Iwuanyanwu) for execution in South-East, especially road projects? How many of them did he faithfully execute?
“In case he doesn’t know, the current crop of Igbo youths are wise enough to identify true Igbo elders, and Iwuanyanwu is not anywhere close on the list. His chameleonic tricks can no longer work under the current dispensation.
“We are not surprised at such loose and careless remark coming from a supposed elder like Iwuanyanwu who has always taken political advantage of every matter. He is only after protecting his wealth and investment, and certainly not speaking for Igbo interest.
”We advise Iwuanyanwu to stop advertising his ignorance of global economics by giving fake analysis of Igbo investments in Nigeria.
“We are aware, and it’s a public knowledge that the economic power of 54 African countries will come to $26 trillion by the year 2056. With this verifiable statistics, one then wonders where Iwuanyanwu is getting his fake claims that Igbo investments in Nigeria is already worth over $12 trillion.
“Therefore, Emmanuel Iwuanyawu must get his records straight before coming out in public to make unverified analysis about Igbo economic power.
“Besides, no matter the amount of investment Ndigbo have in Nigeria, nothing guarantees its safety under the current political structure of the country.
“In case Iwuanyanwu and his likes do not know, Ndigbo have remained the most endangered species in Nigeria. Their business interests and investment have remained the target of every evil policy in the country.
“The torrents of barbaric and unprovoked attacks against Igbo, their investments and business interests in different parts of Nigeria predate IPOB. Who then will Iwuanyanwu say exposed Igbo investments to those attacks? Was it Kanu or IPOB that caused the genocidal attacks on Igbo that led to the civil war in 1967?”
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has counseled IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu to follow the footsteps of the late Biafra leader, Odimegwu Ojukwu, in his clamour for secession (Biafra).
The elder statesman who made the comments on Sunday while speaking when the leadership of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) conferred on him the award as its grand patron in Owerri, the Imo State capital, added that before the beginning of the Biafra War in 1967, Ojukwu did not declare secession on his own, but was called upon by all to do so.
According to him, Ndigbo at the moment are not talking about secession but are demanding the restructuring of the country to allow for equity for all Nigerians.
Iwuanyanwu said; “Ojukwu did not ignore elders and he never declared Biafra on his own. It was the people from all walks of life – the academia, businessmen, civil and public servants that called upon him to declare the state of Biafra and become its leader.
“That was why Ojukwu was able to hold Nigeria for three years without rebellion. Most of us who fought the war were intelligent, but we had to join and fight the war. We’re very proud that we fought that war.
“You (Nnamdi Kanu) can’t come on your own and declare Biafra and ask me, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, to follow you. Even in a monarchical system, people’s opinions are sought. What do you have that you are declaring war here and there? You are only endangering the lives of your brothers, the youth who you claim to lead. You have to come and seek advice from Igbo elders. They’re the people that will guide you.
“All we’re asking for in Nigeria is to restructure Nigeria, which Gowon agreed, but his people rebuked him. Gowon also tried his best to fulfill most of the things that were agreed before the end of the war.”
The politician also added that IPOB members are endangering the lives, investments and properties of Igbos in Igboland and across Nigeria by their unguarded and provocative comments and actions.
“Igbo youths must avoid circumstances that they do not understand. What IPOB did during the #ENDSARS protests was very heinous. Their leader went about taking responsibility for issues and destructions they knew nothing about.
“He also ordered his followers to kill some people in Igboland. If you give orders for another person to be killed in your place, don’t be surprised that your people will be killed also. There is no place in Nigeria that you can’t find an Igbo man. So, ordering the killing of anyone in your community is endangering your people. Apart from the fact that most of our population live outside Igboland, Igbo investment outside Igboland is over $2 trillion,” he said.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
