Fayose: FG should stop use of brute force against agitators

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has hailed Governors of the
South-East states for their yesterday’s 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.”

The governor, who 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, said he remained committed to
the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria through dialogue
and negotiation because it was too late for Nigeria to disintegrate.

Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New
Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on
Thursday, that Governor Fayose said he was “particularly glad that
Southeast 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
represents 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 of the 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North was resolved and withdrawn without necessarily arresting and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
Southeast 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 pig 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.”