₦airaland Forum

The inability of governors of the South-East to come together on issues affecting the zone is now a source of anger to leaders and people of the region. Since the 2015 election ended and new governors were sworn in, the governors have not been able to gather together to forge a common front on issues affecting the zone.

That has become a source of concern to leaders and people of the zone as the South-East has been left unattended to in critical matters affecting the zone both at regional and national levels.

One of the sourest points to the people of the area was the recent killing of over 30 people in Nimbo, in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State. Although, South - East governors were in Abuja like their other colleagues for the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting and other matters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum meeting , it was only the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi , that met with President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue.

Then came the burial of the victims, where Ugwuanyi was the only governor present. There was no presence of other governors in the zone to mourn the victims of the incident. Only a former Governor of Anambra State and former chairman of the South- East Governors’ Forum , Mr . Peter Obi was present . Incidentally , many of the elected representatives from the zone were also absent .

There is also the issue of the killing of Igbo sons and daughters in the rallies organised by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB ) and the Biafra Independent Movement (BIM), among other groups . On May 30 , about 30 Igbo people were murdered by soldiers in Onitsha and Asaba while hundreds were arrested in different parts of the South - East and South-South.

They were marking the 49 th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra by the late Igbo leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu - Ojukwu in 1967. Again, mum was the word from governors of the South - East.

It was gathered that the inability of the South - East governors to offer a united front on issues affecting the region is rooted in their inability to meet regularly as was the case in the past. Since a former Governor of Abia State and now Senator representing Abia North District, Chief Theodore Orji , left office on May 29 , 2015 and vacated the seat as the Chairman of the South - East Governors’ Forum , the centre has refused to hold. Insiders say that there was animosity between some of the governors of the zone , with in fighting being the order of the day, making them not to sit together on issues affecting the area.

Before Orji assumed the seat, Obi was the chairman for about six years, owing to the insistence of the then governors that he retained the seat. The constitution of the Forum allows a rotation of the chairmanship seat between the governors of the five states of Abia, Imo, Anambra , Enugu and Ebonyi. During Obi and Orji ’s tenures, Enugu, the political capital of the zone , hosted the meeting at least once in three months regularly.

At such meetings, knotty issues affecting the region were ironed out . In the hey days of the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency, when detained leaders of ethnic groups such as Fredrick Fasehun and Gani Adams of the O ’odua Peoples Congress (OPC ) and Ralph Uwazuruike of MASSOB, it was the South - East governors and leaders of the zone that met with Obasanjo and secured Uwazurike ’s release with a promise of good behaviour. “When we met Obasanjo , he was angry.

We pleaded with him that this was our son and that others were being released . That he should release Uwazurike to us . He agreed after warning us . That was how the bail bond of Uwazurike was signed by the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije .

He was set free then,” said a source , who was at the meeting . He added that he did not understand why the present governors are sitting and watching events unravel dangerously in the zone.

Similarly, during the time of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua , when he threatened to close down the Onitsha Head Bridge Drug Market over allegations of fake drugs, Obi had summoned the then governors of the region , including Orji and Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State, who went for talks with Yar’Adua. At the end, Yar’ Adua ordered a cleanup of the market instead of a closure. But that has not been the case recently.

For instance, it was gathered that the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and his Anambra State counterpart, Chief Willie Obiano, do not sit together in a meeting. They were both elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA ) before Okorocha took a splinter group to the APC. At few times Okorocha has made attempts to summon meetings of the group in Owerri, Obiano was not present.

As a matter of fact, Obiano has strictly kept away from meetings of the South-East Governors’ Forum whether it was held in Enugu or Owerri or anywhere else . Obiano is not known to have associated with any governor of the region since the last general elections. In the same vein, his wife also keeps her distance from other first ladies in the region.

When Dolapo Osibanjo, wife of Vice President Yemi Osibanjo visited Owerri, the Imo State capital for the graduation of the first batch of 810 women empowered through her skill acquisition programme last month, wives of the governors of Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states were on ground to host her. Again, the absence of Obiano's wife was conspicuous. A former governor in the zone told New Telegraph yesterday that there is so much infighting going on that the governors cannot come together.

He said that much as Okorocha and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State appear close , Ikpeazu is weighed down so much by litigations that he hardly has time for other things.

The case of Ugwuanyi and the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi , is not clear. A leader of the zone, who preferred anonymity , told New Telegraph yesterday: “ Look at the two receptions held for Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Trade, Investment and Industry from Abia State and Geoffrey Onyema from Enugu State, held in Abuja and Enugu, did you see any representations of the South-East governors there?
I am not talking of elected representatives of the zone at different levels . Are they not Igbo sons? Whether in APC or PDP government, are they not representing the Igbo there? What are we looking for and complaining about when we cannot accord our ministers respect ?

Have you heard the governors speak on MASSOB , IPOB or even the lopsided appointments against our zone ? Every governor is on his own while the zone’ s collective interest suffers. “Remember that under Obasanjo, when he wanted to remove Ogbonna Onovo as the Inspector-General of Police over issues of nonparticipation in the NYSC scheme, it was governors of the zone, who protested in a Council of States meeting and the matter was dropped. What are we talking about now?

There is so much disunity. ” Reacting to the alleged rift among the governors of the region, Sam Onwuemeodo , spokesman for Okorocha averred that the purported division exists only in the imagination of some people. “There is no law that dictates that all the governors must attend every meeting when they are called . How you know the true position of things is when there is an issue; their reactions often show they are on the same page,” Onwuemeodo explained.

Okorocha’ s spokesman said it was not ideal to meet incessantly when there is nothing of urgent importance at stake. He said: “Every state and governor have their peculiarities and you do not expect them to meet regularly without taking that into consideration. Whenever the need arises, they will meet and when an issue of utmost importance arises, they will address it as a united front. As far as I am concerned, there is no sharp division in the forum. The governors of the region are on the same page. ”

Since the beginning of this year, the governors only met once in Enugu in April . It was only the governors of Abia , Imo , Ebonyi and the host governor, Ugwuanyi, that attended. Obiano shunned the meeting and was represented by his deputy.

The forum has not elected their chairman since Orji left. MASSOB yesterday condemned the silence of South-East governors, National Assembly members of Igbo extraction on issues affecting the zone and refusal to meet to move the zone forward. In a statement by its national leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, MASSOB blamed the current state of the zone on imposition of the Igbo leaders on the people during the last general elections. It described the present crop of leaders in the zone as self- serving.

“South-East has continued to suffer lack of good leadership because those our people wanted to represent them at state and national levels as governors and legislators were not allowed to emerge during the 2015 general elections. The wishes of the people were not allowed to prevail at the polls and we have continued to suffer for that.

The people were completely rigged out during the polls and the effect is telling on them. “So, Ndigbo will continue to experience lack of good leadership that will speak and protect them and their interests when it matters most.”

Abagworo:
The reason is simple. Anambra doesn't want to be led by others. T. A. Orji emerged the forum chairman simply because Obi's tenure ended a year before others and he gave it temporarily. The obvious chairman is Rochas Okorocha as the oldest SE Governor in this 2015-2019 dispensation.

Abagworo:
The reason is simple. Anambra doesn't want to be led by others. T. A. Orji emerged the forum chairman simply because Obi's tenure ended a year before others and he gave it temporarily. The obvious chairman is Rochas Okorocha as the oldest SE Governor in this 2015-2019 dispensation.

SeverusSnape:
The only governor I respect in the south East presently is Willie Obiano of Anambra.

SeverusSnape:
The only governor I respect in the south East presently is Willie Obiano of Anambra.

Abagworo:
The reason is simple. Anambra doesn't want to be led by others. T. A. Orji emerged the forum chairman simply because Obi's tenure ended a year before others and he gave it temporarily. The obvious chairman is Rochas Okorocha as the oldest SE Governor in this 2015-2019 dispensation.

etebefia:
Who says they don't reason together, talking about okorocha being the longest serving governor amongst the 5 of them and thus being their leader, I don't care who leads and who leads has never been an issue but I don't subscribe to okorocha leading because when chime, obi, t.a Orji, and elechi were there, okorocha disassociated himself why should he come back now to lead? Your opinion on anambra has no basis, you are simply being mischievous.

ifeelgood:
Ipod kids will start insulting their parents mates now. Just go through the comments.