Southeast Governor Sends Strong Warning to IPOB Ahead of Buhari’s Planned Visit to Ebonyi

• Governor Umahi has chided IPOB and its spokesperson over the group's comments on President Buhari's proposed visit to the state
• The governor says anyone who is bold enough should come out to lead the battle against insecurity in the country
• Umahi, however, said that his government would not relent in making as priority the security of lives and property of the people

Abakaliki, Ebonyi - A major reprimand has been handed down to the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi.

The Nation reports that the governor gave the warning while speaking at the end of the year service of the state at the Government House Chapel located at Centenary city, Ebonyi state.

Legit.ng gathered that the governor stated categorically that the group lacks the capacity to bar President Buhari from visiting any state in the Southeast.

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He was reacting to a statement credited to the separatist group's spokesperson, Emma Powerful wherein he had warned the president to shelve his planned visit to Ebonyi state.

The governor chided the group and its spokesperson and expressed his dissatisfaction at its stance on the president's visit.

There had been reports that President Buhari intended to visit Ebonyi earlier in November to commission some projects but the governor noted that he had agreed with the president that the meeting should be postponed till next year.

This, he said, was based on the fact that the leaders of the southeast intended to visit him concerning the issue of peace in the region and he had thus appealed to him to shift the meeting till next year

He revealed that he had seen somewhere where the IPOB's spokesperson who he described as a misguided and inconsequential element saying that the president is not welcomed in Ebonyi.

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Speaking further, he revealed that he was in Paris when he told the president to postpone his planned visit but he didn't want to tell the people since only about three or four people knew about it.

He said:

“So, Mr. President will come when we want him to come. That IPOB guy is an inconsequential human being. If he is serious, let him hit the wall and come to Ebonyi State and let him see if he would find feet to go back,'' he said.

“Somebody will sit somewhere and be talking rubbish and they will be misleading our children to go and be killed; but he himself will not be at the war front.

He added that any member of the IPOB who wishes to talk about security in the southeast should be bold enough and come out to physically lead the war and he also will lead the war for Ebonyi.

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APC Debunks Umahi's Purported Move Back To PDP

In an earlier report, Legit.ng noted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had earlier debuncked reports that David Umahi is currently aligning with politicians of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The APC spokesperson in Ebonyi state, Simbad Ogbuatu had said that such a report about Governor Umahi is not only fake but laughable.

According to Ogbuatu, Governor Umahi had at no time mentioned that he planned to return to the opposition party.

Source: Legit.ng