Barely a week to the Presidential elections, the embattled leader of the proscribed
Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB),
Nnamdi Kanu, has released a statement bordering on the nationality of one of the key contenders to the coveted seat. According to the exiled revolutionary, the presidential candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, is not born Nigerian but from the neigboring
Cameroon.
This controversial statement was released a radio broadcast credited to the maverick from the United Kingdom on Sunday. According to him, the one-time Vice-president
Atiku is a product of 1961 referendum.
“Let me make it very clear that my reference to
Atiku being born a Camerounian has nothing to do with his suitability
to contest the office of the presidency of Nigeria because that is the
business of Nigerians, I am a Biafran.
“I was merely referencing the 1961 referendum that brought his
part of Adamawa into Nigeria a
valid example that referendum is not
an alien concept in Nigeria.
He went further to substantiate his revelations with accompanying online references:
“1961 British Cameroons referendum – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_British_Cameroons_referendum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Cameroons
”League of Nations Mandate · Trust territory· Independence movement
“1959 Northern Cameroons referendum – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_Northern_Cameroons_referendum
He held strongly the opinion that
“A referendum on becoming part of Nigeria was held in Northern
Cameroons in November 1959 … voting to postpone the decision. A second
referendum was held in1961, with 60% voting to join Nigeria and 40%
voting to join Cameroon.
If
Atiku was born in 1946 at
Jada in Adamawa Northern Cameroun, then he was born a British Cameroun at the time, he stated.
He then went on to ask rhetorical questions such as:
“When did Atiku become a Nigerian? 1961 after the referendum that allowed his part of Adamawa to become part of Nigeria.
“What did the constitution of Nigeria say about eligibility to run for the office of the president? You must be born a Nigerian.
“Truthfully speaking, was Atiku born a Nigerian? No. He became a Nigerian by virtue of a referendum in 1961.
