The Peoples Progressives Party (PPP) has called on the federal government and the National Assembly to, as a matter of national urgency, immediately commence the process to organize a free and fair referendum on the issue of Biafra, saying such step will avert the tide of ongoing killings and bleedings in the country.
A statement issued in Abuja on Monday, the national chairman of PPP, Dr. Damian Uzoma Ogbonna, said Nigeria must abide by its obligation under the UN Charter and international law to approve an orderly referendum to address the Biafra question, adding that such is the only way to a fair, lasting and enduring solution.
“Nigeria is a signatory to the Charter of the United Nations; Article 1 of the UN Charter states that nations, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or interference.
“We acknowledge that this universal principle does not state how the decision is to be made, or what the outcome should be; whether it be independence, federation, confederation, protection, some form of autonomy or full assimilation; which allows every signatory to the Charter, such as Nigeria, the obligation to address the needs of the Charter on the basis of its own peculiar circumstance.
“We make haste to add that this principle is enshrined for the very same purpose of avoiding attrition amongst member nations of a state; tending towards civil wars, genocide, deaths and human rights abuses of all kinds and manners. By virtue of this, right a nation is provided with the option to freely determine their political status and to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
“PPP therefore calls on the Nigerian Government and the National Assembly to, as a matter of national urgency, immediately commence the process to organize a free and fair referendum on the issue of Biafra. This has become necessary in order to stem the tide of ongoing killings and bleedings in our country.
“No union should exist under the barrels of a gun!”
