EDITORIAL: Assault on Ike Ekweremadu unfortunate yet a warning signal to the political class
The social media was ablaze with the video of the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu being attacked at Nuremberg, Germany where he was a special guest at the second Annual Cultural Festival and Convention organized by Ndi-Igbo in that part of the world.
The attack in a press release by the office of the serving senator on the platform of People Democratic Party accused the outlawed Independent People Of Biafra (IPOB) as the brain behind the attack. According to the video content, the attackers accused the Senator of refusal to stand for the people of the South-East as a top office older in government. They accused him of politically frolicking with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was accused of conspiracy with the government to outlaw the group and the alleged killing of some of the members of IPOB in the South-East in 2017.
Impact News recalled that the Federal Government outlawed the IPOB while the Nigerian Army initiated a military exercise in the region-Operation Python Dance II. Many, within and outside the country who were however not sympathetic to the cause and activities of the proscribed group frowned at the timing of the military exercise.
The climax of the operation was the invasion of the home of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who at the time was on bail. Kanu eventually fled the country, went underground until he made sudden appearance in Israel last year.
Kanu and IPOB have indeed taken responsibility for the incident, insisting it is a warning to political leaders in the region. He threatened that he has instructed members of the group in 100 countries across the globe to mete out similar treatment on any political leader from the zone, including the governors and leadership of the socio-cultural group of the region, Ohanneze Ndigbo, who step in to the countries.
Impact News joins the Federal Government and other reasonable Nigerians to absolutely `condemn the action of IPOB. We hold with strong conviction that there are better and reasonable avenue to express grievances and opinion to authorities, nevertheless publicly humiliating a ranking member of government is outrightly not one of such ways. To make the matter worse, the shameful act was carried out in a foreign land.
IPOB’s action only goes a long way to justify the decision of the Federal Government to proscribe it. It is absolute right of all humans to unbottle grievance especially when it is collective. Yet appropriate and civil procedure must be adopted. In the case of IPOB’ cause, there are documented and laid down procedures to actualized their goal in line with international best practices. The action of this group only shows that it is out to create confusion, mischief and tarnish the image of the country.
On the flip side, the molestation is a signal to the political elite that Nigerians are feed up with the misrule and leadership irresponsibility that has forced the country to its knees. With dare hunger for meaningful change and unrelenting clamour for positive revolution across the country, they might find the IPOB approach handy.
This attack should not only be condemned by the various persons in authority, they should also take heed that the people have been pushed to the wall. They are in turn turning to face the same people that impoverished them, set them in state of insecurity.
