TheCable

John Oyegun, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for the arrest of those behind the anti-Igbo song circulating in the north.

Oyegun described the hate audio as “dangerous and despicable”.

He also described the “perpetrators of hate-speeches, images and songs as worse than Boko Haram”.

He said this in a statement issued by his media office on Wednesday.

He called on “security agencies to promptly apprehend those behind the recording and other similar acts, “no matter who they are”.

“Every ethnic based crisis of whatever nature had started with hate speech. When people within the same country frame and define one another in the manner intended to set them up for violent attack, then they are setting themselves up for a major disaster,” he said.

“The ‘merchants of hate’ don’t know or just don’t care about the consequences of the fire they are stoking in the country. But they have the experiences of other countries to learn from. Rwanda remains a classic example on our continent. However, even as terrible as Rwanda was, it would be nothing compared to what could happen if a huge country like Nigeria is allowed to fall into the disaster of hate-driven conflict. This is why we must all rise, regardless of our political differences and condemn these ugly and shameful acts with one voice.”

Oyegun said though ethnic distrust was not new in the country, the rising wave of hate speech, negative religious and ethnic utterance and actions as is currently being experienced, is the fallout of the 2015 presidential election.

“Anyone participating in an election knows that there could only be two outcomes, you win or you lose. When you lose, you prepare for the next election. What we have seen however is that since 2015, some politicians and political groups have carried on as if they wish the country itself to collapse just because they are no longer in power. This is tragic indeed,” he said.

He called on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo “to direct the security agencies to ensure that those behind these odious acts are promptly arrested and swiftly brought to justice”.

“We cannot sit idle and watch a few disgruntled individuals to destroy our democracy, and God forbids, the nation that we all fought hard to achieve and build,” he added.