S’East Govs advise IPOB to soften stance, embrace dialogue in Enugu meeting

The South-East governors who met Wednesday with Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said dialogue and not confrontation was the only way to resolve the issues surrounding the agitation of the group.

The governors made this known following the crucial meeting with the IPOB leader which held at the Government House, Enugu.

The governors had told the IPOB leader during the meeting that the group should learn to be flexible, and that their demands ‘must not be absolute.’

They also promised to engage the entire leadership of IPOB in further dialogue in a bid to address their demands.

The Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi; Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and Anambra Deputy Governor, Nkem Okeke, were present at the meeting.

The Imo and Abia state governors, Rochas Okorocha and Okezie Ikpeazu, missed out on the meeting as they were said to have travelled out of the county.

Read also: Kanu in ‘crucial’ meeting with South East governors

Umahi, who read the communiqué after the meeting, spoke on the outcome, thus:

“The meeting agreed that these demands by IPOB should not be absolute, rather the South-east Governors shall immediately engage the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and the entire leadership of IPOB to further meetings and dialogue with a view to quickening the resolutions of all issues amicably,” Umahi said briefly.

The meeting which commenced at about 2 pm, ended around 4.30 pm.

Kanu arrived at the venue of the meeting around 1.30 pm in company of foremost constitutional lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, who is also the leader of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT) and Eliot Uko, who is deputy secretary of ILT.

Many believe the direct reason for the meeting may not be unconnected with the recent move by the federal government to re-arrest Kanu on alleged violations of his bail condition and his highly controversial death-threat response.

 

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