Atiku: IPOB’s demands not beyond negotiation

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for 2023 election has said it is possible to negotiate with the Southeast pro-secessionist group, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB over their demands for the state of Biafra.

Atiku spoke at the town hall meeting of organised by Channels Television on Sunday.

The PDP presidential candidate said if elected in the 2023 elections, he will open negotiation with IPOB over their demands for the state of Biafra.

He argued that what the South-East needs is more autonomy and this will be addressed by his policy of restructuring and devolution of more powers and resources to the states.

Atiku said such restructuring and devolution of more powers and resources will quell the various agitations of the separatist groups in the country.

“The agitations are in different perspectives, to my understanding. “One of them is political and political has the sense of ‘how does the South-East participate in power sharing in the country?’ And we are in a democratic society. 

“There is no one single geopolitical zone in this country that on its own can achieve political power without crossing the Niger or being in alliance with other geopolitical zones.

“I think this is what they should begin to think: How do they partner with other parts of the country to secure political power for their own interests or to protect their own interests. I think these are the ways to go as far as agitations by IPOB are concerned.”

“The IPOB issue in the South-East is basically, as far as my understanding is concerned, about the realisation of Biafra. Is it possible for Biafra to be realised today? How? By negotiations or by going through another civil war, which we can’t afford to?

“I believe we should be able to negotiate with the agitators from the South-East, as far as the issue of Biafra is concerned. We believe what they need is more autonomy as far as their sub-region is concerned.

“That is why we proposed restructuring of the country, by which we mean devolution of more powers and resources. After all, there was Eastern Nigeria in the First Republic and they developed at their own pace and with their own resources,” he said.