Governor
Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has charged the Federal Government to look into
political solution for the agitations by ethnic-based groups in the country
rather
than the employment of what he described as “brute force”.
In his
statement he also hailed governors of the South East states for their meeting
with leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu saying 'the
meeting has provided a veritable platform, which all Igbos must key into
otherwise they will remain guinea pig as long as this country exists'.
He appealed
to the Federal Government to “allow political solutions to agitations by
Nigerians as against the use of brute force,” which, he said had “become the
hallmark of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.” According to him, he remained “committed to
the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria through dialogue and
negotiation because it is too late for Nigeria to disintegrate.”
Governor
Fayose said he was “particularly glad that South East governors have come to
the realisation that they cannot ignore their own in times like these as
agitations are normal and must not be ignored, although the approach should be
handled with caution.”
He blamed
the actions and utterances of President Muhammadu Buhari for the agitations
going on in the country, saying; “The father figure of this country is
President Buhari and if his language does not represent unity, there will be
agitations like we are witnessing now.
“A father figure rallies even the bad boys in his house. The utterances
and actions when he became President were against the unity of this
country. How can a president say that he
will only attend to the needs of those who gave him 97 per cent vote and
neglect others who didn’t vote for him?
“For Nigeria to move forward and in unity; there must be no
sectionalism, there must be no oppression and there must be justice and
equity.”
The
governor, who commended the Northern leaders for standing up to ensure that the
Arewa Youths’ quit notice against the Igbos in the North was resolved and
withdrawn without necessarily arresting and detaining anyone, said; “I am sure
that the same can be achieved by the Igbo leaders as arresting or re-arresting
Kanu may be counterproductive as it may be perceived as vilification of the
entire South East Region, not necessarily Kanu as a person.”
The
statement read in part; “This meeting has provided a veritable platform, which
all Igbos must key into otherwise they will remain guinea pigs as long as this
country exists. “That His Royal
Highness, Eze Israel Okwu Kanu, the father of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and
elder-statesman, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), were part of the meeting is a
sign of strong determination and unity on the part of the South-East leaders
and their governors, which I believe will end up in the amicable resolution of
all issues involved, especially by pro-Biafra activists, especially the IPOB.
“While I
appeal to the federal government to allow political solutions to agitations by
Nigerians as against the use of brute force, which regrettably, has become the
hallmark of this administration. I
remain committed to the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria
through dialogue and negotiation. Even though it is too late for Nigeria to
disintegrate, we do not need APC kind of restructuring.
“Once again,
I salute my brother governors from the Southeast for their historic meeting of
yesterday and I urge them not to relent in their efforts to bring lasting peace
and harmony to their region. While I
also commend the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu for his display of humility and
commitment to peace by attending the meeting, I enjoin him to cooperate with
leaders of the region going forward.”
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