• Leaders endorse govs’ decision on IPOB
From Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja
South East leaders have resolved to hold a mega stakeholders conference, in October, to take a common position on restructuring even as they have agreed to ratify the proscription of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by governors of the region.
The leaders, at a meeting in Enugu, last Saturday, said the region must take a precise stand on the issue of restructuring of the country.
The meeting was attended by an extended South East caucus, comprising the zone’s governors and elders.
The planned mega conference is yet to have a date but the caucus has tentatively agreed that it should hold in October.
Sources at the meeting told Daily Sun that the leaders resolved to toe the path of South West leaders who recently met in Ibadan, where the zone adopted a common position that Nigeria must be restructured.
A similar one, sources said, will hold in Enugu, in October. One of the sources, who is a member of the National Assembly told Daily Sun “we agreed to hold what would be close to the September 7 meeting in Ibadan where South West leaders adopted a common position on restructuring.”
He disclosed that similar to the Ibadan meeting, which had some leaders from other zones in attendance, the Enugu rally will extend invitations to South West, South South, North Central leaders, as well as other national leaders.
Giving further insight into the weekend meeting, another source disclosed that the caucus agreed to set up an organising committee to, immediately fashion out details of the planned South East mega rally on restructuring.
He confirmed the “conference will be attended by stakeholders from the South South and South West. It is a signal that the time for restructuring is now.”
On other issues discussed at the meeting, the source said weekend’s proscription of IPOB by the governors was tabled and discussed extensively.
Most of the leaders, he said, had faulted the governors for banning IPOB and had publicly condemned the governors’ action.
They had argued that IPOB was merely agitating for Biafra and should not have been tagged a terrorist organisation.
However, he said the governors gave an elaborate explanation on why they moved against the group in the manner they did.
He noted that the governors convinced the leaders that the decision to proscribe IPOB was in the interest of the youths of South East as well as the business interest of Ndigbo.
“The meeting was told that the governors got wind of certain, sinister developments which could occur if the situation was not immediately arrested.
“So it was a quick one that the governors had to move promptly to arrest an ugly situation and save lives.”