However, Ekpa’s call is suspicious because of his antecedents. Ekpa, it seems, believes in violence as the only tool to achieve Biafra. This is evident in the violence that trailed all the sit-at-home he declared. His group, autopilot seems to be populated by criminals who unleash mayhem on their people at any slightest signal from him.

That is why a trending rumour that a rich and powerful politician running for the presidency has given him millions of dollars to disrupt the election activities in the South East region is not being ignored.

It is suspected that he will call for sit-at-home in the election weeks to instill fear on the people and thwart the election in the region for the good of his alleged paymasters. Ndigbo are ready to participate actively in the election and are taking various proactive measures to counter any plot by Ekpa or anybody else to disrupt the election.

Elections’ll hold in Igbo land in 2023 — Ohanaeze 

As part of the arrangement to ensure that the coming elections hold in Igbo land against the plot by Ekpa and his cohorts to sabotage it, the Council of Elders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo  led by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, met recently and deliberated on some strategies to ensure that elections hold in the South East. At the meeting, Iwuanyanwu was mandated by eminent Igbo to meet with the South East Governors led by Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and other critical stake holders in the zone with a view of ensuring peace during the elections.

In the words of the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Alex Ogbonnia, "I am very optimistic that the strategies outlined will achieve the desired result." It was agreed that some youths in the South East who have not keyed into the ongoing wind of change in the country will be engaged and enlightened on the benefits the South East stands to derive from the 2023 general elections. So, I am confident that the youths will see reasons to hold the election in the future.

"Another reason that bolsters my confidence in the success of the election is that Mr. Peter Obi has shown capacity, sagacity, vision, competence, a track record of accomplishments, ingenuity, and a detribalized patriotic disposition." These are the contagious characteristics of Obi that will draw more people to him over time.In other words, "Obi's charisma, hope, followership, and support are the major countervailing forces that will ultimately overwhelm the current encumbrances."

Govs., monarchs, and town unions should provide enough security for the elections.—Ezeife

Igbo elder and former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, is very hopeful that elections will hold in all of Igbo land, and he has tasked both governors, the traditional rulers, town union leaders, and village heads with ensuring adequate security for hitch-free elections.

"We are well aware that some enemies of Ndigbo are working around the clock to disrupt the 2023 general elections because they know that if the exercise is allowed to proceed without interruption, it will end in favour of Peter Obi of the Labour Party; but if they scuttle it, confusion will envelop the country, and only they know what they stand to benefit from such confusion."

"Therefore, it is imperative for our governors, traditional rulers, and town union leaders to ensure adequate mobilisation of their various vigilante operatives to complement the efforts of security agencies in providing adequate security throughout the election days."

The President-General of Aborji Akanano Union, Oba, Idemili South Council, and Anambra State, Nze Dozie Nweke, said his community has been fortified with an adequate security network to ensure that elections in the area take place in a peaceful atmosphere.

Simon Ekpa is a paid agent for continued insecurity in South-East Asia—Prof. Igwe

Obasi Igwe, a political science professor, was enraged by Simon Ekpa's actions, describing him as an agent paid to ruin Igbo land.He alleged that Ekpa was paid by the federal government and some powerful politicians to ensure that the sinister insecurity and state-sponsored terrorism in the region festered.

Prof. Igwe, on the other hand, urged the sponsors of both known Fulani herdsmen and unknown gunmen to give peace a chance and "stop further orchestrated atrocities and allow the Igbo to peacefully join other Nigerians in voting."

"Simon Ekpa is almost certainly a 100% agent of the state here, abroad, or both; he is on their payroll to help them continue to build a sinister case for continued state-sponsored insecurity and chaos in the East, to enable them to rig the elections through a fear-induced decrease in participation among Easterners.

"The Igbo are eager to participate in the elections and resume their relatively peaceful lives, which have been deliberately destroyed by federal "kinetics."

"Simon Ekpa must retrace his steps,"  Igwe said.

Kanu’s release will end Simon Ekpa’s unpopular threats.

In his reaction, the national vice president of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, cautioned that the coming elections should not be toyed with because the South East has an opportunity to make a statement.

"Is it only when all of us perish that the President will understand the feelings of Igbo people?" Every Igbo man has pleaded with him to seek a political solution to Nnamdi Kanu’s matter. The case is before the court, and Ohanaeze is not the judge. We have made several moves to ensure Kanu is released, but we can’t sit as judges in court.

"The only thing we want to remind the federal government of is that the cost of all these has been heavy on us." We are losing lives and property. If they can close their eyes and release him, tension will come down, and that is the solution to all these insecurities in the South.

"As a result, we are pleading with the president to take the courageous step.""We continue to implore the President to restore peace and security in the South East by freeing Kanu," Okeke-Ogene said.

Uzodimma is reading the riot act.

Worried by the rising insecurity leading to horrible killings in Imo State, the governor, Hope Uzodimma, has said he would employ a new, forceful approach to fight the menace. He decried a situation where Igbo have turned weapons against one another, using the wisdom God gave them for destruction instead of building.

The governor warned that it would not augur well if coming elections were not conducted in Igbo land and vowed to do everything possible to encourage and persuade Imo people and Igbo, in general, to participate actively in the elections.

You can’t get Biafra by killing your brothers—MASSOB

The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, or MASSOB, the pioneer agitators for Biafra, condemned the gruesome murder of innocent people by the enemies of Ndigbo and wondered why some Igbo youths offered themselves to be used by people who didn’t mean well for them.

MASSOB's National Director of Information, Comrade Edeson Samuel, said, "The killings are no longer an agitation for Biafra because you cannot be killing your brothers and sisters in the name of Biafra."

"It is evil and an abomination in Igbo land for one to kill his own brother or sister, no matter the reason." Even when they don’t believe in Biafra with you, you don’t have to kill them.

"MASSOB’s stand on Biafra agitation remains sacrosanct, but you can’t get Biafra by killing your people because they belong to one political party or the other." You can gain their support through sensitization and not through coercion. MASSOB wishes to make it clear that these killer squads are working against Igbo interests or have been paid by our enemies to destroy the Ala Igbo.

A commentator on social media did not spare Simon Ekpa, describing him as "a useless dancer."

"He is dancing for the groups that pay him and wants to derail Peter Obi's chances in the South East."He plants his evil men, who share his blood money, on many Igbo group platforms, who help in spreading his evil messages. But his cup is full; his sponsors and his foot soldiers should take note or pay a huge price for their stupidity.

"I am appealing to all well-meaning Igbo and our educated elites to start now and use the instrumentality of social media and every other means of spreading information to enlighten our people to resist the satanic agenda of Simon Ekpa to drastically reduce Peter Obi's vote in the South East through his reckless and devilish sit-at-home activities, which he intends to declare on the election week.This is the best opportunity for the Igbo nation to be part of the Nigerian project. It will be a shame and a curse to the Igbo nation that other tribes in Nigeria are killing themselves and doing everything for our son Peter Obi to emerge as president, and we are the ones trying to scuttle it through the nonsense activities of one Finland-based opportunist called Simon Ekpa and his collaborators in the name of fighting for Biafra. "Igbo, do not be deceived."

Kanu's release will bring peace to the South East.

Contributing, the National President of the Association of South East Town Unions, ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe, said the release of the leader of the IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, will restore peace in the south-east zone.

Diwe urged the federal government to obey the court's order to release Kanu. He noted that the majority of the groups claiming responsibility for the South East crisis said they were motivated by the detention of the IPoB leader, and he urged the federal government to release Kanu and see if peace would return to the region.

"The federal government should release Nnamdi Kanu, at least based on the pronouncement of the court." What will it cost them to release Kanu, especially when the court has ordered his release? It will cost the government nothing to release Kanu.

"My question is whether the Buhari administration is enjoying the killings and insecurity in the South East as a result of the continued detention of the IPoB leader.What will it cost the federal government to release Kanu if they are not enjoying the situation? People are being killed daily, and the federal government is not even bothered.

"If the federal government is not enjoying the killings, then they should release Kanu." The Association of South East Town Unions is asking Buhari to fulfil his promise. "We operate at the grassroots, and we are the people who bear the brunt of the raging insecurity in the South East," Diwe lamented.