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Dele Momodu, a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Phrank Shaibu, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have condemned attempts to blame the Igbos for the ongoing nationwide protests in Nigeria.
The controversy erupted when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's supporter sent an inflammatory narrative to Momodu, alleging that the Igbos were behind the protests but refused to participate.
Momodu, known for his forthrightness, swiftly took to his social media handle to denounce the message.
He shared the content of the inflammatory message, "A classic Jan 15, 1966, happened yesterday, but many people didn't notice.
Northerners lost the most political & military officers, followed by the West, while the East lost none. Ibos instigated and led that coup but protected their own. Ibos championed this protest but refused to participate."
In his rebuttal, Momodu described the accusation as "cheap blackmail," stressing that the protests were a response to widespread hunger and dissatisfaction with the government.
He wrote, "The people are hungry while the government is living large. The Igbo are largely traders. They look after their own globally. Nobody instigated anyone or anything.
"You guys should accept the reality that Tinubu has not done very well. Leave the Igbo out of your excuses. To ethnicise the protests is to be disingenuous."
Phrank Shaibu backs Momodu's stance
Backing Momodu's stance, Phrank Shaibu echoed similar sentiments on X (formerly Twitter).
He criticised the narrative, highlighting the absurdity of blaming the Igbos for the protests.
Shaibu wrote, "Yes, Northerners and Westerners lost political and military officers in 1966, and sure, let's blame the Igbos for protecting their own—as if looking out for your community in times of crisis is a criminal act. How dare they?"
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He continued, "And now, in the present day, we're being told that the Igbos championed this protest but conveniently sat it out. Classic scapegoating! Because, obviously, the Igbos have nothing better to do than sit in their homes, masterminding protests from afar like some villain in a poorly written novel."
Shaibu further criticised the divisive rhetoric, emphasising that people from all ethnic backgrounds have united against bad governance.
He urged Nigerians to focus on the real issues: cronyism, corruption, poverty, and incompetence in leadership.
"So, to these Tinubu apologists who keep regurgitating this divisive drivel: Keep on living in your fantasy world where the Igbos are the omnipotent puppeteers of every Nigerian crisis. Meanwhile, the rest of us will focus on uniting against our real enemies," he added.
Both Momodu and Shaibu's comments have sparked widespread discussion, highlighting the deep-seated ethnic tensions in Nigeria and the need for unity in addressing the nation's challenges.