How Southeast Governors went from kissing IPOB boss to disowning him

Standing with Kanu as though posing with a celebrity, were Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Senators Theodore Orji, Sam Egwu, Eyinnaya Abaribe, Andy Uba and a clutch of other political heavyweights from the Southeast.

“It was the clearest indication yet that Kanu was enjoying the support of the top politicians from the Southeast and that we had to do something fast”, a source in the presidency told Pulse recently with the benefit of hindsight.

The politicians’ photo-op with Kanu happened just a week after the hate spewing separatist was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja on April 25.

On August 30, 2017, it was the turn of Southeast Governors to tacitly endorse Kanu’s dangerous activities and group.

At the Government House in Enugu, the Governors told Kanu to go about his secessionist agitation as peaceably as possible.

“The meeting agreed that these demands by IPOB should not be absolute, rather the South-east Governors shall immediately engage the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and the entire leadership of IPOB to further meetings and dialogue with a view to quickening the resolutions of all issues amicably,” declared Governor David Umahi of Enugu State after the meeting.

At the meeting were Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Anambra Deputy Governor Nkem Okeke and constitutional lawyer Ben Nwabueze.

To rub salt in the wounds, Governor Ayo Fayose and former Minister Fani-Kayode--both from Nigeria's Southwest--were lining up to take pictures with Kanu.

Kanu goes rogue

Days after the meeting with the Governors, Kanu took his separatist agitation to new heights--threatening fire and brimstone and calling the leadership of the country all sorts of unprintable names.

He was pushing it.

Aso Rock cringed and waxed even colder. At informal meetings, the president's kitchen cabinet couldn't stomach Kanu's chutzpah. They described his rhetoric as stomach churning and gut wrenching.

Then Acting President Yemi Osinbajo also warned against hate speech and how spewing hate speech had become an act of terrorism. But Kanu and his followers were far too gone to heed the hunter's whistle.

Days before, as President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Nigeria after a 103-day medical vacation in the UK, he issued lines from his prepared remarks which everyone knew were directed at Kanu.

"We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble, and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood.

"Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance.

"I believe the very vast majority of Nigerians share this view. This is not to deny that there are legitimate concerns. Every group has a grievance. But the beauty and attraction of a federation is that it allows different groups to air their grievances and work out a mode of co-existence", the president said.

Too dangerous for silence

Buhari was speaking on the back of threats and counter-threats between Kanu’s IPOB and youth groups in the north.

The situation had clearly "become too dangerous for silence", to paraphrase late literary icon Chinua Achebe.

As Aso Rock waited for an improvement, Kanu ratcheted his incendiary rhetoric before scary crowds from the comfort of his father’s compound. The crowds were growing with each passing day.

The presidency waited and waited for Kanu to be called to order by Southeast leaders and politicians. They could well have waited forever. Kanu was unrelenting in his hate speech delivery.

ALSO READ: Dear Nigerian media, you are normalising danger with Nnamdi Kanu

In the week of August 15-18, Kanu paraded what he called his Biafra Secret Service (BSS) as Aso Rock tore out its hair. He had crossed the line.

Aso Rock sources recall that BSS moment as the last straw.

Surely, recalls a military source, Kanu's IPOB had become an enemy combatant.

'Inventing hate speech'

“IPOB might not have invented hate speech, fake news, misinformation, but it has employed these to push its agenda,” fumed Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, with doses of irritation.

“A rag tag mob that calls itself IPOB and its gullible supporters felt they could seize a large swathe of the Nigerian territory, set up parallel military and para-military organisations, mount road blocks and even confront the Nigerian military. Their leader openly solicits weapons and incites hatred and violence.

“The self-imposed IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is the master of hate speech. His supporters should listen closely to his inciting remarks and cruel statements. If such does not constitute hate speech, then tell me what hate speech is.

“We have tolerated the excesses of Kanu for too long. Mention one country in the world where an organisation has set up a military organisation, confronted the national army and engaged in exploiting of people without consequences”, Mohammed added.

'Terrorist organisation'

On September 15, 2017, the Nigerian army declared Kanu’s IPOB a terrorist organisation. Hours later, Southeast Governors toed a similar line by throwing Kanu under the bus. They disowned him and banned his group from operating in Igboland.

“All activities of IPOB are hereby proscribed. IPOB and all other aggrieved groups are advised to articulate their position on all national issues and submit to the Committee of Governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo and National Assembly Members from the South East Zone, through the Chairman, South East Governors Forum”, the Governors declared in a Communiqué.

What changed?

“President Buhari read the Governors the riot act and told them they weren’t doing enough to curtail Kanu’s dangerous activities. The president stopped short of accusing the Governors of supporting Kanu’s calls for the balkanization of Nigeria,” offered a top ranking presidency source.

The source added that the president pulled the rug from under the feet of the Governors.

ALSO READ: South East Governors ban Biafra group

As TheCable put it, “The Governors were acting on a presidential directive as a pre-condition to reduce military presence in the region.

“There were hot arguments at the meeting over the appropriateness of the Governors succumbing to a directive from Abuja.

“The Governors had been accused of tacitly supporting IPOB”.

Sources in the know in the Southeast, tell Pulse that the Governors and politicians couldn't risk going against Kanu in the early days, for fear of incurring the wrath of his fans and supporters.

Southeast Governors were also worried that the heavy deployment of troops to the region will hamper the Anambra governorship election billed to hold in November and all other political activities thereafter.

"They had to give in to the president's demands or deal with the presence of soldiers everywhere", said an administration source.

All wrapped up before UNGA

Aso Rock sources confided in Pulse that it is no coincidence that the army’s statement and that of the Governors arrived within minutes of each other and just hours before Buhari took to the skies for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

“The president wanted to sort this all out before he leaves for the And he wanted to do it quickly”, was told.

With Kanu now on the run and his IPOB dispersed and outlawed in the Southeast, Aso Rock may just have scored an important victory when it mattered; and could now afford some self pat on the back.

The presidency says it had to move the way it did because it didn’t want IPOB festering into another Boko Haram.

“The fact that Boko Haram festered because it was not decisively tackled by the immediate past administration meant we should never again give room for any organisation to threaten the corporate existence of our country”, said Lai Mohammed.

“But for the army’s quick and decisive intervention, IPOB could have set the nation on fire. The Governors of the States in the Southeast have wisely proscribed IPOB. This step, though long overdue, is still commendable,” he added.