#QUITNOTICE: Southern leaders create more divide, urge S’East leaders to boycott further meeting with Osinbajo

Leaders of the southern part of Nigeria have called on the South-East not to involve themselves again with any meeting called by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo without the inclusion of the entire southern regions.

This was even as they called on Arewa youths to withdraw their October 1, quit notice order to Ndigbo living in the North, saying that attack on the ethnic group will be considered as an attack on the entire Southern region of the country.

This came following a meeting of some leaders of the southern part of the country held at the Lekki, Lagos home of Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, in response to the quit notice and subsequent consultative meetings Osinbajo has been having with South-East and northern leaders.

The leaders while criticising the Federal Government for not employing the laws of the land in trying to address the inciting disposition of the northern groups, further demanded for the implementation of the 2014 National Confab report.

The decision of the leaders was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by Adebanjo (South – West), retired Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (South – East ) and Chief Albert Horsfall (South-South ) and was read to newsmen by the spokesperson for the Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin.

Part of it read, “We reject the attempt to reduce the current crisis in Nigeria flowing from the unresolved nationality question to an Igbo and North affair with the patterns of the meetings being held by the acting President to resolve the matter . Any further discussions on this crisis should be between the entire South and the North of Nigeria and the South – East is advised not to consider any further meeting where the South-South and the South-West are not involved because the issues involved affect all of us.

“We also demand that the Arewa youths and their sponsors must withdraw the quit notice given to the people of South-East as failure to do so will be taken as an ultimatum to the entire South to quit their region and any attack on any section of the South will be considered as an attack against the entire southern Nigeria.

“We, therefore, advise the Federal Government to take it seriously and live up to the primary responsibility of any government which is to protect the live and property of every citizen of Nigeria wherever he or she may reside.”

Read also : Biafra agitators , Arewa youths may end up in jail –Osinbajo

“We reaffirm our resolve in the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference aimed at a complete transformation and restructuring of our country and to build and consolidate Nigeria’s unity through national solidarity, peaceful and harmonious coexistence, progress and genuine developments.

“We, the people of southern Nigeria, will want to see concrete steps taken on the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference before the 1 st of October, 2017.

“We note that the cry for self-determination will continue unabated and much more strident unless the Federal Government sincerely addresses the issue of restructuring of Nigeria.”

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