By Nehru Odeh
There seems to be a crack within the Indigenous People of Biafra, as the deputy leader, Uche Mefor has fallen out with his boss, Nnamdi Kanu and floated a new radio station called Biafra Human Rights and Freedom Radio (BHRFR}.
Aside from the name of the radio station, which hints at a divergence of paths within the group, Mefor had earlier showed signs of a crack when he deleted his Facebook page in August.
According to reports by Naija News, Mefor fell out with Kanu because he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of his former leader consistently claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari is dead and has since been replaced with one Jubril Al Sudanni from Sudan.
That rumour has not only been in the public domain for a long time but has also fuelled wild speculations about the identity of the president and has been a fodder for gossip.
Kanu, on his part, had said in the past that Mefor had cautioned him against peddling such rumour and flying a kite.
“I keep saying this every time, my Deputy, Uche Mefor will say don’t say it, don’t say that Buhari is dead“, Kanu once said in a broadcast on Radio Biafra in February.
Mefor had also clamoured for a change of approach and attitude among IPOB members but his appeals fell on deaf ears and resulted in verbal assaults from members of the group. The estranged IPOB deputy also said to have engaged his leader in a war of words over some disagreements.
This is not surprising as the IPOB leader has been accused of being dictatorial, arrogant, and fraudulent by some of his former allies. It is believed that that the IPOB leader is running the organization for pecuniary gains and not in the interest of the people.
Mefor has also said in a video that is currently circulating that he had been excluded from making broadcasts on Radio Biafra and that Kanu and those working with had effectively sidelined him from doing things that he had been doing before. Mefor also hinted at the floating of another radio station, aside from Radio Biafra without his knowledge. He was also asked to hand over the logging details of Radia Biafa to one Ofomma. He questioned why the IPOB leader should float another radio station and prevented him from making broadcasts on Radio Biafra.
“A number of our people know that there have been one or two issues from time to time. But now it has come to the zenith of it all,” Mefor said.
“And I came to a conclusion. And I said, when all these back and forth were going on, that for the sake of those who died in this struggle, that I would hands off office. And then I gave him the details of Radio Biafra.
“If I am a deputy to Nnamdi Kanu why shouldn’t I know that another radio station is being opened? … For me this is a humiliation of the highest order. This is an insult because when you talk about the internet/online aspect of Radio Biafra, You cannot write that story, you cannot finish it without talking about me. I worked for this thing for almost one year.
“I have been blackmailed. I have been humiliated in so many ways,” Mefor said, adding that he had been portrayed as evil
However, though it is believed that Mefor resigned as IPOB leader, sources very close to Kanu said the IPOB leader secretly dismissed him because he could not condone his overbearing nature.
This, according to Naija News, was done secretly to avoid raising unnecessary eyebrows.
Still another source said Mefor took the decision to pull down his Facebook page and remain incommunicado because of security reasons.
Still Mefor was quoted to have said in a report that Nnamdi Kanu crossed the red line after he disgraced their former African representative, George Onyibe.
“What will befall Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB in no distant time will be shocking. Any ear that hears it will tingle,” the ally said.
