By George Mgbeleke <\/p>\n
A U.S.-based organization, The Rising Sun Foundation, alongside the global coalition for Biafra restoration, has warned Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, condemning his blockade of Onitsha\u2019s business district and accusing him of betraying the Igbo people.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Dr. Maxwell Dede, representing The Rising Sun Foundation in the United States, the foundation described Soludo\u2019s actions as \u201ctyrannical\u201d and a \u201cflagrant betrayal\u201d of promises he made four years ago to support a grand dialogue on the Igbo people\u2019s future within or outside Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernor Soludo stands accused of a profound and treacherous betrayal. Four years ago, he courted the support of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the aspirations of millions, publicly pledging to facilitate a grand dialogue for the Igbo people. Today, he actively persecutes the very people and principles that propelled him to power,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The group criticized the governor for deploying predominantly non-Igbo military and police personnel to blockade economic arteries, describing the move as \u201cthe act of a tin-pot dictator, not a democratic leader.\u201d <\/p>\n
It further claimed that the Onitsha crisis is \u201cnot a result of merchant disobedience but of gubernatorial failure and dictatorial impulse\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe governor is strangling the economic lifeblood of the people he swore to serve, shattering the fragile peace he claims to protect,\u201d the foundation said. <\/p>\n
It also condemned Soludo\u2019s perceived comfort with the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the federal government, calling it evidence that Soludo is \u201ca politician of convenience, not conviction.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rising Sun Foundation warned that any harm inflicted on peaceful protesters or merchants exercising their rights would be interpreted as \u201can open declaration of war against the Igbo people and their fundamental human rights. The blood will be on Soludo\u2019s hands.\u201d <\/p>\n
The group added that the world should hold the Government House in Awka responsible for any breakdown of law and order, insisting that \u201cGovernor Soludo fired the first shot with this unjust and provocative blockade\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a peaceful people, but we say no more killings. The era of Igbo governors colluding to spill the blood of Igbo youths is over. We will not stand idly by and watch history repeat itself,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The foundation also announced it was initiating steps to have Soludo declared persona non grata internationally for what it described as gross violations of democratic norms and economic rights, asserting that \u201chis welcome on the international stage will be rightfully rescinded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calling on international observers, human rights organizations, and the Nigerian federal government to take action, the foundation said, \u201cThe siege on Onitsha must be lifted. The path to peace in the South-East is through justice, dialogue, and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu\u2014not through military barricades and economic suffocation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group warned the governor, \u201cGovernor Soludo, you are at the brink. Pull back. Respect the people. Honor your forgotten promises. The world is watching.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke A U.S.-based organization, The Rising Sun Foundation, alongside the global coalition for Biafra restoration, has warned Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, condemning his blockade of Onitsha\u2019s business district and accusing him of betraying the Igbo people. In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by Dr. Maxwell Dede, representing The Rising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[3386,4119,6009],"class_list":["post-10615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-crime","tag-betrayal","tag-flagrant","tag-tyrannical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10615"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10616,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10615\/revisions\/10616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}