Desperate S/East Politicians Working With Bandits To Destabilise Nigeria – Umahi

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has accused desperate South-east politicians of working with bandits to destabilise Nigeria.

Naija News reports that Umahi, who is the chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, stated this after a virtual meeting with the five governors of the region at the government house, Abakaliki.

According to the Ebonyi governor, the governors in the region are worried about the insecurity in the region.

“The governors are so worried about the killings and kidnappings that are going on by our people in the south-east, killing our own people and the security agencies,” Umahi said.

“The situation is being heightened by the activities of very desperate politicians, this time irrespective of party affiliations.

“There are so many desperate politicians in all the political parties that are so desperate for power and they have aligned with some bandits in the south-east to destabilise the nation.”

Umahi also dismissed a viral video making the rounds over the alleged expulsion of a Fulani pastoral community from an area in Ebonyi as fake.

He said: “Politicians, as we have intelligence gathering, went to put a voice and said it is the Igbos that are chasing away the herdsmen from Ebonyi state.

“Such a video went very wide and was causing panic in other parts of the country. That was very much uncalled for because we also have over 11 million of our people living in the north.

“We have so many of our people living in south-south and south-west. When people do this, they think they are doing it to pull down a particular governor, not knowing that they are doing it to start killings against our people.”

Meanwhile, politicians from the South-East region of Nigeria on Tuesday submitted that both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should pick their 2023 presidential candidate from the region.

According to the politicians who spoke under the auspices of South-East Political Leaders, their demand is based on the need for fairness and justice to the region.

They made their demand known in a five-point communique issued at the end of their meeting which held at the home of Senator Orji Kalu in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

As part of their demands, they want political parties “to cede their presidential tickets in the 2023 general election to the southeast,” noting that the move is “in the interest of justice, equity and national unity.”

The communique according to NAN which was read to newsmen by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, added that “Such a president will be president of all Nigerians, irrespective of their political, ethnic and religious backgrounds.”

“Such a president would ensure that all citizens and every part of the country is given a sense of belonging and treated with utmost sense of justice.”