Political and opinion leaders in the South-East, including state governors, on Sunday agreed to set up a committee to parley with pro-Biafran activists and the Federal Government over the ongoing agitation for Biafra.

The decision was taken at a meeting of South-East Elders, which was convened by the state governors in Enugu.

A communique issued after the meeting, which was also attended by members of the National Assembly, some former governors, and other elder statesmen from the zone, said the proposed committee would dialogue with the two major pro-Biafran groups – the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, and the Indigenous People of Biafra.

MASSOB and IPOB are championing the ongoing agitation, which had led to massive protests in major cities of the South-East and South-South.

The agitation was triggered by the detention of the leader of IPOB and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Reading a communique after the South-East Elders met for several hours at the Enugu State Government House, the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said, “After a compassionate review of the recent MASSOB/IPOB agitation in the country, it was resolved that a committee be set up to dialogue with MASSOB/IPOB as well as with the Federal Government with a view to finding a lasting solution to the issue.”

However, the communique did not say when the proposed committee would be set up.

Okorocha added that the meeting resolved to send a delegation of South-East Elders to meet President Muhammadu Buhari over the “marginalisation” of the zone, as well as other outstanding socio-economic issues that hinder development in the region.
“The elders also examined other issues including poor state of infrastructural facilities in the South-East, marginalisation in federal appointments and other socio-economic issues that impact on the economic development of the South-East and resolved to support the decision of the South-East Governors to set up an Economic Council and urged them to interface with the Federal Government on remedial measures.

“A delegation of the Elders of the South-East was mandated to meet with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Okorocha, who read the communiqué said.

He added that the meeting equally resolved that the governors should immediately set up a committee to address the “impasse on Ohanaeze leadership.”

Ohanaeze-Ndigbo, the foremost pan-Igbo socio-political association, which is currently surrounded by a leadership crisis, was not represented as a body at the meeting.

Two factions are claiming to be the authentic leadership of the association.

MASSOB and IPOB were equally absent at the South-East Elders’ meeting.

Interestingly, a faction of Ohanaeze, also on Sunday in Enugu, held a different meeting over the pro-Biafran agitation.

The parallel meeting was attended by members of MASSOB and IPOB.

At the meeting attended by Ohanaeze leaders, including the factional President-General, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey, the Secretary-General, Chief Joe Nwaorgu, and the President of the youth wing, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the association distanced itself from the meeting summoned by the governors.

They also demanded Kanu’s immediate release from detention.

Isiguzoro, in a text message sent to our correspondent during the course of the meeting, said the governors were only complementing Ohanaeze’s efforts towards resolving the issue.

The Ohanaeze youth leader said a proper meeting to be summoned by the association’s highest decision making body, the Ime-Obi, would deliberate on the pro-Biafran agitation.

“Ohanaeze have resolved that Nnamdi Kanu should be released.

“The governors have missed the point. They are using cosmetic approach.

“Ohanaeze will call Ime-Obi and the resolution of the governors is just to complement the efforts of Ohanaeze to reach out to MASSOB/IPOB to have their charter of demands,” Isiguzoro said in the text message.

PUNCH.
SOURCE: http://www.afikpochicupdates.com/14022