Willie Obiano, the governor of Anambra State, on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 rubbished the statement of IPOB that the November 18 gubernatorial election in the state would not hold.
Speaking at the erosion site in Odume Obosi Layout in Idemili North Local Government , Obiano said IPOB does not have the interest of the people they claim to be fighting for at heart, Vanguard reports.
This is even as some former state governors raised concerns over agitations by separatist movements in the country.
In his reaction to IPOB’s statement on Anambra election, the visibly angry Governor Obiano said that “whoever that says there will be no election in the state and the South East in general is not carrying the interest of the people at heart and wants the thing that happened during the last census in which our people were not counted to happen again.
“We will not allow what happen during the last census where our people were not counted to repeat itself. Due to MASSOB activities, our people were not counted and it affected the entire South east adversely. It will not happen again.We are still suffering it today because we were counted less than what we are.
“People are free to vote the candidates of their choice. You can see that in Anambra state today, people now sleep with their two eyes closed”. He urged the people to vote for him come Nov 18th for continuity.
“We are not against our brothers in IPOB and MASSOB who are agitating for Biafra restoration, but they must apply caution and ensure that whatever they are doing are within the law. Election must hold in Anambra State and South East at the appointed time, nobody can stop elections in any part of South East.”
Ex-govs call for calm over separatist agitations
Members of the Forum of Former Governors, FFG, class of 1999, said they were particularly worried by the call of the coalition of Northern Youths for Igbos to vacate the north within three months.
The Forum also called on governors of the south-east region to engage the agitators and diffuse the threats by the Indigenous People of Nigeria, IPOB in the region.
In a statement signed by Lucky Igbinedion and Niyi Adebayo, the forum’s chairman and secretary respectively, the forum called for calm.
“No sacrifice is too much to avert chaos, prevent any further incidence of criminality, protect human lives and spare the lives of the country,” the forum noted.
They also urged Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to convene a joint meeting of the various patrons of the contending groups in which assurances could be given.
“The elders and leaders of thought from both the South East and the North should jointly meet to state a common position; we further recommend that traditional rulers from the two areas should do same,” the ex-governors said.
The meeting of the past governors was attended by Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom and others.
