Governors in the Southeastern part of Nigeria, under the umbrella of South East Governors’ Forum, have declared that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are not speaking for the entire region on the call for secession.
The governors said this on Saturday, June 19, at a meeting in Enugu State.
Chairman of the forum, David Umahi, who stated this while addressing newsmen shortly after the meeting, said they believe in one Nigeria.
“We condemn in totality, the activities of violent secessionist groups in the South East and elsewhere. We firmly proclaim that we do not support them, they do not speak for South East.
The impression that South-East leaders are silent over some of our youths’ agitations for secession is not correct. South-East Governors, Ohanaeze President, National Assembly members, notable leaders had come out publicly many times in the past to speak against such agitations.
In order not to mismanage the unfortunate situation, South-East leaders have set up a committee to engage such youths to stop and allow elders speak to address such fears,” he said.
South-East govs can’t decide actualisation of Biafra – IPOB
Responding, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said the governors of the South-East geo-political zone lacked the locus standi to decide for the people of the region on issues concerning Biafra.
This was as the group claimed that the purported statement wherein the governors disowned IPOB, was a pointer to the fact that they already lost grip with the masses, owing to their desperation to regain the trust of their ‘paymasters’.
The group stated this in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful.
It said, “The purported statement by these shameless political generals without foot soldiers has only further exposed them as Caliphate boot-leakers. They know too well that they have since lost grip and control of the masses, hence, their desperation to regain the trust of their paymasters.
“They only publicly disowned IPOB, thinking that doing so will make them regain the trust and favour of the Caliphate. The governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo and the handful traitors masquerading as the Igbo political elite should wake up to the realities that they have since lost the confidence of the people.
“It’s only unfortunate, shameful and disgraceful that the so-called Igbo leaders will be quick to disown and betray their own in their quest to appease their slave masters. The South-East governors again, in 2017, they sat together in Enugu State to proscribe IPOB and the Federal Government declared them terrorists with the support of South-East governors while they are not.
“To their shame, how many times have their northern counterparts disowned the bloody terrorists, bandits and Fulani herdsmen rampaging the country? So, the South-East self-acclaimed leaders are quick to disown IPOB and ESN, yet they are calling us to accept the calls for peaceful negotiations? What hypocrisy!”
