By: Felix Ikpotor
The Movement For The Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, led by Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu has denied reports circulating on social media that Prince Biira who is also laying claim to the presidency of MOSOP led the organisation to a meeting with the four Council Chairmen of Ogoniland.
This is even as the body has called on the four Council Chairmen in Ogoni to call Biira to order to avoid causing crisis in the area.
Making the clarification, Publicity Secretary of MOSOP, Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar, stated that the information being circulated by Prince Biira and his group is untrue and misleading, urging the public to disregard same.
Oscar said the four local government chairmen led by the Chairman of Khana LGA had invited all those laying claims to MOSOP leadership for a meeting towards having a unified MOSOP and to join hands for a unified November 10 Matyrs’ Day and January 4th Ogoni Day celebrations as against different groups holding their separate celebrations.
He said all of them attended the meeting and that they were never led to the meeting by Prince Biira.
Oscar also called on the four Council Chairmen of Ogoni on whose instance the meeting was convened to call Prince Biira to order so as not to discredit their good intentions.
“I want to call on the public to disregard the news being circulated by Mr Prince Biira saying that he led MOSOP to the meeting with the four chairmen of Ogoni LGAs. That news is a distortion of facts and the public should jettison such fabricated story,” he said.
Oscar added: “It is actually a commendable thing that the four council chairmen led by the chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Martins Nwigbo haven earlier received the MOSOP leadership led by Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu at his council and also the Tai Council chairman, Mathew Dike, came out with the resolution to ensure that there would be no more factions in MOSOP and therefore used the opportunity to call for a meeting with the chairmen alongside all those laying claims to the presidency of MOSOP which held in Tai LGA. In that meeting it was agreed that all parties should come together and work as one for a unified MOSOP”.
The MOSOP Publicity Secretary said at the moment, the Council Chairmen are looking forward to seeing how the November 10 Matyr’s’ Day and January 4th Ogoni Day celebrations can hold successfully, adding that what was coming out from Prince Biira is not what that was discussed at the meeting.
“There was never a time that Prince Biira led any MOSOP leadership to the meeting. We call on the public to disregard such claims by Prince Biira.
“We also want to use this opportunity to call on the four LGA chairmen to call Prince Biira to order and stop him from discrediting their good effort and intention with his blackmail and falsehood and to adhere strictly to the resolution reached at the meeting.
“We also condemn such actions by Prince Biira and MOSOP leadership led by Professor Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu would not be part of such and that any further misrepresentation from Mr Prince Biira would not be taken lightly,” Oscar insisted.
