By Anayo Okoli, Chimobi Nwaiwu, Ugochukwu Alaribe & Chinonso Alozie
FORMER governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo has come under attack by some Igbo leaders for defending South-East Governors.
Nwobodo has said that South-East Governors should not be not be branded weak for not acting swiftly over the attack by security operatives on IPOB members in Emene, Enugu state recently.
Leading Igbo elder and Nigeria statesman, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, Chief Ozo Anaekwe and rights activist, Emeka Umeagbalasi disagreed with Nwobodo, saying that the South East governors acted cowardly.
“What I am saying is that the South East Governors are not acting with enough boldness in the matter.
“I was in a joint meeting of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and South East Governors, at Enugu. I was personally in the Government House where we agreed on a thing and it was never implemented, then they went and formed the one they had with the Inspector General of Police, IGP.
“The man told them they were going to form joint security outfit, and I keep asking, how they would form a joint police outfit that will be supervised by the same IGP, who has allowed the Fulani people to carry guns and kill Igbo’s in their places.
“How do they expect the same IGP to head their own vigilante, how can it work, they are acting without wisdom in that respect and without enough Igbo courage, they should be courageous enough to have their vigilante without external control, if they cannot do it collectively because they have now taken Imo State, individually take into Igbo interest into consideration.
“They are killing your people every day and they are not doing anything and somebody is talking about acting with caution, I did not say they are coward, I said they acted cowardly, they acted without enough courage, they are acting like jelly fish that is what I said and I stand by that”, Amaechi lamented.
For Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi: “I totally disagree agree with him. The Southeast Governors are weak and uncoordinated. They act as if they are agents of the ruling Islamic oligarchy.
“Exposing the lives and liberties of their own people and endangering the territorial security and safety of Igbo land is not the best they should do.
“The truth of the matter is that the Southeast Governors must sit up otherwise they will be attracting the wrath of their own people. On Emene massacre, they, especially the Enugu Gov, acted cowardly”.
Chief Ozo Anaekwem the former President General of Onitsha Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, OMATA, took exceptions on the manner the governors handle security issues in the zone.
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“The Governors have no answer to the security lapses in the Southeast that has led to the killings by the herdsmen and security agents in the South East, they are not using the security vote given to them to protect the people they are meant to protect.
“They are collecting security votes; they are not utilizing them to provide security for the people, rather to impress the powers in Aso Rock and for lining their pockets.
“That security vote is money given and collected by Governors to protect lives and property’s of the people, it is supposed to be used for prevention of crime to protect lives and property’s, the Governors are supposed to take proactive measures before crimes are committed and that is the essence of having security reports.
“Unless they are telling us they are using their security votes for things other than security, Chief Jim Nwobodo should remember that he was the former Governor if Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States put together as then old Anambra State.
“Now we have three Governors for the states yet they cannot protect their people, but Nwobodo as only Governor for old Anambra State, now three states was able to give the people security, how can three Governors wait until a crime has been committed, they will now act”, Anaekwe said.
Also the Igbo National Council, INC, has criticized the governors over the handling of the Emene incident, and called on the people of the Southeast to begin a ballot revolution against the political leaders in their zone. INC President, Chilos Godsent, accused the Southeast governors of paying more attention to the authorities in the North more than their own people.
“They are being very cowardice. They are more of a puppet to the caliphate and the northern oligarchy. The people should be able to determine who governor should be and not allow them be imposed by the Northern caliphate.
However, a chieftain of the pan Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Richard Ozobu, aligned with Senator Nwobodo, saying the governors should not take hasty decision without being briefed with the facts of any situation. “I read Chief Jim Nwobodo’s statement on this matter, he was right”.
