Rebuttal
Dear brother Johnfrank Ozzidi.
The absence of your dear senator, Comrade Abba Patrick Moro from Igede land during the 2024 Igede Agba festival was not because he doesn’t care about Igede people but because of the standing order by the Igede Traditional Council that this year’s celebration should be LOW-KEYED, that people should celebrate in their houses.
You will agree with me that the senator has been consistently attending Igede Agba festival for so many years now, even before he became a senator, and where he didn’t make it physically he sent powerful delegations. It would be unreasonable and disrespectful to the traditional council for him to storm the land for the 2024 festival when there’s a standing order against any form of celebration.
The senator respects tradition and won’t have gone against the instruction by the custodians of Igede tradition and culture to be in Igede land for the festival. If anybody FROM OUTSIDE Igede land did that, to score cheap political goal, then such a person has no respect for traditional rulers and elders of the land.
As for the crisis between Bonta and Ukpete, the senator didn’t have to use the occasion of Igede Agba festival to talk about that, he’s doing so much behind the scene to put an end to that crisis. I’m sure you read the statement I issued on that day, to felicitate Ol’Igede on the festival.
I know you to be a very intelligent and responsible person, let’s not allow ‘strange and unknown men’ with inordinate ambitions radicalize and incite us against those we hold dear to our hearts. Abba Moro loves Igede people and that love will continue to be there even after he leaves office.
There will be many more Igede Agba celebrations, let’s just pray for peace in our land so that we can be having huge celebrations, and not LOW-KEY celebration again. Hopefully and by God’s grace, we shall use the occasion of the 2025 Igede Agba Festival to commission some projects in Igede land and ride on a motorable and much better Otukpo-Obi-Oju federal road.
God bless you and the entire Igede Nation!
~ Eche’Ofun
07/09/2024
