Former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has said that the move by the Federal Government to appeal the judgment of the Appeal Court which discharged and acquitted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, is a waste of time.
In an interview with AIDOGHIE PAULINUS in Abuja, Ezeife also said, if the Federal Government approached the Supreme Court, the judgment would return the same, insisting that the Appeal Court did a good job.
The 84-year old Ezeife further said, if Kanu was released, the fortunes of the Southeast would improve and it would help the region in winning the 2023 election.
What’s your take on the Appeal Court ruling setting the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi, Nnamdi Kanu free?
I have heard many people say things about it. I am so happy about that ruling. I believe Nigeria will be saved, Nigeria will come back to a proper country, and God has turned His face towards Nigeria.
If you look at the case, Nnamdi Kanu is talking about Biafra. Somebody who is Igbo is talking about Biafra; he is talking about moving away from Nigeria, the same Nigeria in which all Igbo voted with their feet for one Nigeria. We, Igbo, voted with our feet for one Nigeria. That is why anywhere you go, if you take away the indigenes, the next largest population is Igbo. So, it is not just that we embraced one Nigeria, we took it as ours and wherever we are, we invest; we build, and we develop. It is from our ancient dictum that “where you live, you develop, you mend, and you take care of.”
This is my compound (his residence in Asokoro). It is bigger than the one I have in the village. It is more developed than the one I have in the village and this is even better now, because, in the past, our people would come and build 100 houses in Abuja and have none at home. That was why when I was elected to be governor of Anambra State, in my inaugural lecture, I emphasised “Think Home.” Invest in Ghana; invest in Lagos; invest in Port Harcourt; invest in Maiduguri, but I also invest at home, because our big men who invested everywhere would come back and use bicycles (in the past). But, now, it is changing. They are beginning to invest at home, also.
Why should Nnamdi Kanu want to leave Nigeria? Well, I am happy with your newspaper, The Sun. I said it once, and you gave it publicity, that the Federal Government of Nigeria — the present Federal Government of Nigeria —seemed to be pushing the South-East out of Nigeria by their policies, activities, statements, appointments, the locations of industry, and by all they are doing. It is like they don’t want the Igbo. For the railway projects, none is given to Igbo. No major appointments to the Igbo. Most Igbos are thrown out via retirement. An Igbo woman had a pharmaceutical factory, and it was closed down, because they said young men were sniffing something. This was something that had been in the market for a long time. Ifeanyi Ubah was locked up. He has the largest product depot in Nigeria. Look at one man who is manufacturing cars, Innoson! He was brought in his pants to EFCC or whatever they call it and tortured. Anytime you take a man out of his house and put him in a sub atmosphere, you are torturing him. There are so many things to say. Our people will import containers, and they are seized and sold to some people who will sell them back to our people. In cement, we had the man who supplied most tonnes of cement to Nigeria, Ibeto. Eventually, he was knocked out of it. He is now gradually coming back. If I start talking, you will not find time to talk about anything else. There are all kinds of things against the Igbo! We have three main tribes in Nigeria – Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Do you find the Igbo in your National Security Council? That is a knock-out.
So, what is this man protesting? He is protesting injustice against the South-East. He had no guns when he was arrested. He is not a terrorist, but he was declared one. And terrorists have taken a part of Nigeria, the Boko Haram. They have taken a part of Nigeria. We knew when they started, and now, they are even being forgiven for the atrocities they committed, and we (Igbo) are declared unwanted in Nigeria. First of all, I said Kanu committed no offence requiring detention and trial. Two, I am not a lawyer; I understand he became a British citizen because of all the circumstances I have mentioned. And now, he was kidnapped by the Government of Nigeria from Kenya and brought in; tortured; he refused to die. So, the court went to town, investigating all kinds of things and came with a verdict: discharged and acquitted. That’s what we were told. Then the government started making wuruwuru in the night, removing the acquitted from the judgment, and now we hear that they are going to the Supreme Court. It is a waste of time, because, if the Supreme Court is the type of Supreme Court we think it should be now, with the man at the helm of affairs there as Chief Justice, it is just time consuming. The verdict will be returned, because the Appeal Court did a good job. It was unanimous. So, this is my view. I am grateful to the appeal court, I am happy with the judgment.
How important is that ruling to the South-East and its people?
Our people in the South-East know our son; we know what the issue is. And I tell you my brother, if you want to look at it correctly; more than 80 per cent of the people of the South-East understand Kanu more than they understand the Federal Government. So, we are happy with the verdict and I will have to tell you now – this verdict changes many things and, when he is released, the society will be much, much, much better in the East. The suffering will reduce. The insecurity will reduce, and there will be peace in the South-East. Why? Because there, people are killing people. Some call them unknown gunmen. Things are happening badly; people are being shot dead; there was one legislator whose head was cut off and displayed like a football. These things will stop, because the liars, the criminals who are exploiting the situation, will find no basis to continue. Because Kanu is in detention and does not appear on television making a statement, but people are attributing things. Many people who are not IPOB members are saying they are IPOB.
When the sit-at-home on Mondays was announced, I called IPOB lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, and said, “What is this? The Federal Government is trying to kill us and we want to kill ourselves by forcing ourselves to sit at home? I analysed it and I argued with him. He said he didn’t know and he didn’t think Kanu knew about it. Then he went to Kanu, and Kanu ordered that it should be stopped. It was done only once and the order by Kanu for it to be stopped. But, is it not going on now? It is still going on. Now, if Kanu were out and on television, even if it is NTA, if the television says, and The Sun newspaper and other news media say, “Look at Kanu; he is saying that the sit-at-home should stop”; everybody will know that it is true that the leader of IPOB says we should stop the sit-at-home.
Number two, we are talking about the 2023 election. His release, well, of course, you know that some people will like us not to vote even and some people will like the South-East to boycott the election or vote minimally so that we don’t have a high number of votes for our own chosen candidate. So, do you know that, today, some candidates are paying money to rascals and recalcitrant individuals, criminals to go and burn INEC offices, to announce that there will be no election in the South-East or to persuade even some people that election in the South-East is not good, because they have not released Kanu? Now, if Kanu is released and people see him, will anybody say he has not been released? Will anybody say because of that, don’t go and vote? Will anybody say Kanu has not been released; did he say you shouldn’t come out to vote?
So, you think his release would affect the 2023 election in the South-East?
His release will help us win the election. But, as you can see, God is already working over time. I was happy that in one of the interviews that Arise gave me, I said God had taken over from Nigeria’s conscienceless politicians. Look at what is going on now! Most eyes are open. Somehow, our God works in mysterious ways. We don’t know why he gave us the persons He gave us to rule us, but, right now, the circumstances of the time has made it that the Fulani eyes opened; the Hausa eyes opened; the Igbo eyes opened; the Yoruba eyes opened; the Itsekiri, eyes opened. All groups in Nigeria have opened their eyes, and they are beginning to understand why we are poor, why we are like we are in Nigeria today, a shame to all blacks on earth; why nothing works; why some people in power engage in comprehensive corruption, stealing our money, even printing more money and distributing among themselves. The eyes of Nigerians are open and we can no longer use religion and tribe to deceive our people.
God in heaven is whom we are worshiping. Chineke, that is the God, the God that creates. That is the God we are worshiping. Some people are deceiving other people, telling them things about religion. God says, do not kill. In the Bible, do not kill. In the Koran, do not kill except according to the law. So, what is the difference? Do not kill is do not kill. Yet, some people call others infidels and begin to kill them. How can Christians be infidels? I don’t know what you are, whether you are Muslim or Christian. Even if you are Muslim or Christian, you didn’t choose it. You became one on arrival. I want you to emphasise this point. All of us are our tribes on arrival. All of us are Christians or Muslims or pagan on arrival. What do I mean by arrival? The moment you are born, you become Igbo or Yoruba or Hausa. The moment you are born, depending on where you are born, you become a Christian or Muslim or pagan. You didn’t choose where you belong. So, this is important to know. Who is guilty if somebody is guilty? Only God knows where He puts us to be born. Therefore, using religion, even ethnicity, to fight a battle is stupidity and ignorance. Killing man because of religion is…
Somebody saw me the other day. I was carrying my Koran along with other books. He told me, “Oh! No, no, no, The Koran should be on top, not in between.” I said, “What about the Bible?” He said, “I think the Bible should also be on top.”
I asked how could the two of them be on top at the same time? We don’t understand. Our God in heaven loves us. He doesn’t give us all these kinds of regulations. A Christian cannot blaspheme against Islam. You can blaspheme against what you believe, not what you don’t know about. They killed a young woman the other day, accusing her of blasphemy, because she mentioned Jesus.
Let’s go to politics. Why hasn’t the Igbo elite, particularly the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and others, endorse any candidate like Afenifere did in the case of Peter Obi?
Everybody knows where we stand.
Where do you stand?
We stand on Peter Obi as God’s chosen candidate; as God’s chosen to show the world that the black man was not created inferior to the white man; that Nigeria is a leader among nations and that Nigeria will develop into a super power among nations and be at par with America, be with Europe, China and Russia. We will decide the affairs of the world with those people. That will happen as Peter gets into office. In two years’, all our boys with great brains will excel. I don’t know whether people know it, a Yoruba boy brought out the foetus of a two-month old from a woman’s womb, operated on it, put it back and later was delivered as a child. That is a black man, a Yoruba. An Igbo man is number one in the world now in computer business —digital business. That is black man. America has an Igbo village in Virginia as compensation in recognition of the contribution of Igbo in developing America. A German professor ranked the entire world on achievements, and selected four groups among the greatest achievers in the world. The Igbo were part of it. In fact, the Americans also selected four of our people and gave them villages in recognition of their contributions.
Peter Obi was my successor, not directly. I was governor of Anambra State, the first elected. Many years later, Obi became governor. And while Peter was governor, I went to Enugu Airport to travel, and I saw him carrying his luggage. And he was governor, carrying his luggage! I remember that when I was governor, people would carry my luggage, and I said, “Hey! I thought I was a humble man, and I saw somebody more humble than myself”
Our people did not like Peter initially, because he wouldn’t give you money. If you go to Peter, you want to smuggle, beg him to give you money, he wouldn’t give you shishi in those days. But if it was necessary, he would give it to you, if you were in trouble. So, this man is not your regular, conscienceless politician. Indeed, there is a major change in Nigeria. There is no more PDP. There will be no more APC. Two parties will begin to take over. I am not a Labour man. Labour Party has no organisation, no strong organisation, but Peter will make it a big thing from now on. So, we Nigerians should allow God to do His will in Nigeria. I am beginning to feel very happy. Northern people, Sheiks, Imams, are coming to me, asking me about politics and about Peter Obi. Yoruba people, Ashurin was the president of a Yoruba organisation for South-East for Nigerian president. All those who were fighting for the South-East are now zeroing in on Peter.
What are the disadvantages of endorsing candidates? And what happens if every tribal group endorses a fellow tribesman as candidate as you have done now?
We haven’t done it. Our people have not endorsed anybody. But we know that there is an anointed person. It is not endorsement, because, if it is endorsement, then he is endorsed by Nigeria before even the Igbo person. Before the Igbo organisation, Afenifere endorsed him; the Middle Belt endorsed him; even in Kaduna, they endorsed him; anywhere he went, they endorsed him. Where he did not go, they had a million man march for him. So, are we blind or do we refuse to recognise the hand of God in what we are doing? And it is not a matter of Peter or Igbo or anything. Who likes hunger? Hunger, does it know whether you are Igbo or you are Hausa or Fulani? If you want hunger, continue with what you are doing. Get another Fulani; get another Northerner; get anybody you like. Atiku, my friend, said the other day only northerners should be voted for, yet, he said he was a unifier. Yet, a unifier wants only Northerner, himself, to be voted for.
Can the South-East leaders bring all candidates together like the Arewa leaders have done so that we can get to know their individual ideas?
That was the plan, and it is still the plan. We will bring all the candidates from the South-East t together, and if necessary, we will bring all the candidates together. But you know things are very obvious. We should not be deceiving ourselves. Some people don’t qualify to be candidates, but they are called candidates, because money was the name of the game. Bullion van politics e don go. Finish! No more bullion van politics in Nigeria.
That takes us to the issue of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s church rat/poisoned Holy Communion analogy. What are your thoughts on this?
I don’t understand Holy Communion. I am a Salvation Army person. In the Catholic Church, they refused to give me communion. They will ask us to pray, we prayed together and when I go to take the communion, they refused me.
Tinubu, let me tell you, he is my friend. Tinubu was the only human being who gave me money, two million naira, when my wife was kidnapped. Tinubu was the man in Yoruba who was defeated by one Williams in primary, but then, we as AD, I was a member, and I was vice chairman of AD. The Yoruba people called me and said what do we do, this our man failed in the primary and he was beaten by Abacha’s man. I said, “Is that why you invited me? If we are allowed to field our own person, the person we trust, we should submit the name of the person who is working with us, and that person is Tinubu. That was how Tinubu became governor. So, if I say something about Tinubu and somebody is making noise, it is ignorance. But, right now, if Tinubu wants to become president. if you ask me, I would say my brother, don’t waste your time.
Why?
You are too old. Northern youths from every state in the North visited me. These chairs were not enough and we brought more. They told me that nobody more than 65 should become president in Nigeria for now.
And you agreed with them?
I looked at it and I told them I was 84; I was not going to be contesting for president. I think Tinubu is too old. Whether we know his age or not, he is too old. Secondly, Tinubu is not well enough and, finally, the end game, Muslim-Muslim ticket, telling those of us who are Christians to go to hell. We are not going to hell, and I don’t want him to go to hell either. But he will not be president.
Flood has wreaked havoc in different parts of the South-East. How can this part of Nigeria deal with this, as well as its environmental and ecological issues?
My brother, this is serious. Africa is the country designed for human habitation. God gave us land, environment to live comfortably. But sometimes, we are very careless. We know that there are lowlands and there are highlands. In designing any town, town planning, we should make sure we allow the path for water to flow. We don’t have hurricanes and we don’t even have earthquakes. God didn’t give us all those, but we should design our environment, knowing that things could happen. But now, the entire world is facing a problem that is called climate change. We have not contributed anything as blacks or as Africans to the problem, but the effects are affecting us. So, we should anticipate this problem and begin to help solve it to have greener environment. Don’t kill off all our trees and make sure that we are not burning too much fossil fuel, which is contributing to a bad environment.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure is coming to an end. How do you view his handling of the economy, corruption and security?
God gave us Buhari, and we should be grateful to God for Buhari. His failures led to the opening of the eyes of all Nigerians. If Buhari did not come and bring all kinds of iniquities and impunities, we wouldn’t have been as united as we are now in pursuit of 2023 elections. So, I thank God for bringing Buhari. I blame Buhari, but I now realise that he was an act of God. It was God’s decision, intention so that He can show His design for Nigeria. It is now that we will take off, explosive development in the country and begin to match all the other big countries in the world and make every black man proud.
What are your expectations from INEC as we prepare for the 2023 general election?
Look, INEC is the best it can be now. Let me tell you, when they removed an Igbo man from the ICT, all of us complained angrily. INEC can do nothing to change the results of the 2023 election, because it will be an overwhelming victory for one person —so overwhelming that no person will attempt to rig, because rigging such an election is so one-sided in voting, we will just say bye, bye to Nigeria The place will burnt down. The whole country will disappear, and there will be no Nigeria in the map of the world. So, nobody will attempt to rig.