Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, David Umahi, has restated the commitment of the people of the South East region to remain in Nigeria, despite calls by some ethnic groups in the country for restructuring.
Speaking at a media briefing organised by the Presidential Media Team on Thursday in Abuja, Umahi said the eastern part of Nigeria has no intention of seceding from Nigeria.
He said, “We do not want to secede from Nigeria but we want a Nigeria where justice and equity prevail. We want peace.”
Umahi who lamented the increasing insecurity in the South-East noted that the peaceful agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and other groups in the east have been hijacked by bandits.
He explained that it is mere war propaganda that foreign machinery are the ones causing mayhem in the region stressing that citizens from the South-East are responsible for the killings, burning down of police stations, and destruction of property in the region.
The Governor said the agitation for a better region by MASOB, IPOB, and the Eastern Security Network, ESN, are offshoots of years of neglect by previous governments and called on youths and others to aggregate their demands for onward transmission to the federal government by the governors of the South-East.
He condemned the mayhem in the region and urged security operatives in the region to intensify efforts in curtailing the situation.
On the recently launched of Ebube Agu in South-East, Umahi said the outfit is legitimate and has come to stay adding that peace-loving citizens of the state have nothing to fear.
The Ebonyi Governor stated that it is dangerous for anyone within the region to say there won’t be an election in the southeast in 2023.
He said the attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, office within the region is being carried out by bandits and criminals to destroy the image of the people of the southeast.
On the ban on open grazing by the southern governors, Umahi said anyone who says open grazing should continue wants killings to continue as well.