ENUGU – After over four hours of closed door meeting on Wednesday at Enugu Government House, governors of the Southeast zone failed in their bid to convince leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to drop his agitation for Biafra.
It was also gathered that the meeting failed to stop his threat to stop the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State.
The governors were said to have invited Kanu to discuss issues bothering on the said violation of his bail conditions for which the Federal Government has asked an Abuja High court to issue an order to re-arrest him.
Also on the agenda was the Biafra Secret Service (BSS), which he was said to have inaugurated at Umuahia, Abia State which has been described as unlawful and illegal by the Police.
At the meeting attended by Constitutional lawyer and elder statesman, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, and Deputy Secretary-General, Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), Mr Elliot Uko, Kanu was said to have “remained hell-bent” on having Republic of Biafra.
He was said to have told the governors that the BSS was not “a terror group and does not bear weapons but formed to monitor Igbo returning from northern part of the country in the event of the expiration of the October 1 deadline of the quit notice issued on Ndigbo by the Arewa youths.”
However, Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum, Dave Umahi had assured that the governors would continue to have further dialogue with leadership of IPOB on their demands and way forward.
In a one-paragraph communiqué he read after the meeting, Umahi said: “The meeting agreed that these demands by IPOB should not be absolute rather the Southeast 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.”
At the meeting were Ugwuanyi and Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke. Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) were said to be out of the country on official engagements.
The governors had resumed their meeting after Kanu and his group left the Government House. The meeting had not ended as at the time of filing this report.
(News Express)
