Enugu Residents Berate S’East Governors For Shunning Southern Governors’ Forum

Some residents of Enugu, weekend, said the absence of Southeast governors during the just-concluded Southern Governors’ Forum held in Enugu was a show of shame and political naivety.

THE WHISTLER reports that the meeting, held Thursday, had southwest governors of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Ondo in attendance. Ekiti and Oyo sent their deputies. Southsouth governors of Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Edo attended, in addition to the deputy governors of Delta and Cross River states.

However, governors of the Southeast states, except host Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, shunned the meeting. While Anambra governor Chief Willie Obiano had no representatives, those of Ebonyi, Abia, and Imo sent their deputies.

A public affairs analyst, Moses Nriji, said, “What played out is a microcosm of what we pass through as a nation. A meeting of such magnitude, where far-reaching decisions were adopted, ought to be attended by all the governors with enthusiasm. Igbo governors prefer to attend secret meetings where they hatch their selfish goals.”

A business man, Mazi Okwudili Njoku, said, “Our problem in Igbo land is the lack of unity among our governors which they demonstrated during that meeting. We clamour for Igbo presidency; it is unimaginable how our governors chose to be absent during that epoch-making meeting. Before you know, they will begin to bargain for vice presidency.”

A student, Comrade Samson Ossai, said, “It is naivety. This was a meeting that discussed open-grazing bills, presidency coming to the South, among others, and our governors ran away. When you see the unity among governors of other regions—Southwest and Southsouth—specifically, you can easily read the writing on the wall. They are more politically-oriented. They are answerable to the people that elected them.”

A lady, Nkechi Obasi, said, “I love the courage of the likes of Nyesom Wike on the VAT matters. Today, other governors are toeing his line. But you will never hear the voice of our Igbo governors because of their Abuja interest. They don’t know that posterity is the judge.”

A group, Concerned Igbo Stakeholders Forum (CISF), through their leader, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, said, “Their absence leaves a lot to question the commitment of these governors to the growth and advancement of the Southeast.

“Their gaze at the forthcoming elections in 2023 is becoming an unbearable distraction for them in delivering their mandate to the people.”

Our correspondent reports that the next meeting of the governors is billed for Port-Harcourt, River State.