The Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, on Tuesday paid a “thank you visit” to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President paid two-day working visit to Ebonyi last week and commissioned some projects including a facility at the University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, the Presidential Lodge and the Government House in Abakaliki, among others.
The governor, who addressed State House correspondents at the end of the visit, said he was in the State House to deliver a letter of appreciation to the President from the leaders of the South-East region for his recent working visit to Ebonyi and by extension to the region.
He said: “I came to the Villa to see the President and give him a thank you letter from South-East leaders, which expresses their deep appreciation for the visit of the President on a two-day working visit to Ebonyi, by extension South-East.
“I thought it necessary to do that as quickly as possible, our people are deeply very happy with the President and very appreciative of all the rewards of that visit.”
On the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the governor insisted on a political solution to the problem.
He dismissed the insinuation that the people of the South-East zone were no longer interested in the “Nigeria Project.”
The people of the South-East, according to him, are not in support of any form of agitation or plan to secede from Nigeria.
Umahi said: “I had many months back met with the President, where we had very detailed and frank discussion on that particular matter. South-East people are tired and I have always said that we are not totally in support of agitation to secede from the Nigerian nation.
We want to belong to the Nigerian nation and as the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, I have publicly said it, I have defended it, I don’t care about the attacks and those who have taken to the politics of that matter in our place.
“So, the President graciously granted my request for a political solution but you see, when the President repeatedly said the matter is in court, we must appreciate his pedigree and integrity.
“He cannot just as a President say he is going to destroy the matter in court.
“But there is always room for dialogue and out of court settlement and that is what we are looking for.
“He has said, your cultural leadership should be able to initiate that with Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer.’
“But, this is over six months and we have been begging the President of Ohaneze to take up that responsibility.
“So, that is the position and we are waiting for the President of Ohaneze to kick-start this political dialogue.
“I met with the Attorney-General of the Federation, he is very well disposed to it,
“I have also met with the Director General of the Department of State Services and he is also disposed and the same with the Inspector General of Police – so the ball is in our hands.”
