Declare State Of Emergency In Southeast – Ohanaeze Tell Tinubu

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural organisation has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the sit-at-home order in the Southeast. Ohanaeze said declaring a state of emergency would send a strong signal to the Southeast governors, who would now be compelled to find a lasting solution to the order.

It will be recall that a Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, had severally declared sit-at-home order in the Southeast. The order by Simon Ekpa had aggravated the crisis in the Southeast, a situation that had led to an attempt to cripple the economic activities of the region.

Reacting to the development, Ohanaeze Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said the body would not allow Simon Ekpa to destroy the economic activities of the Southeast. According to his words; “A desperate moment needs desperate action. We want to warn again that Ohanaeze will not fold its arms and allow miscreants to destroy economic activities in the Southeast.

“If possible, where this sit-at-home is happening should be declared a state of emergency. This is what President Tinubu must do so that it will make the Southeast governors sit up and find a lasting solution to the problem.

“Simon Ekpa has declared a second Biafra War, which Igbos are not ready to fight. Igbos are supporting Tinubu and would assist in ensuring that this rebellion is squashed. Simon Ekpa’s action is an attempt to divide Igbos, and we wonder why Peter Obi and the rest are not talking. We hope this is not a conspiracy against the president,” Okechukwu Isiguzoro Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo concluded.

However, the Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has declared that the responsibility of ending the sit-at-home order in the Southeast region extends beyond the governors of the respective states. He stated this yesterday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu to seek an appointment for Southeast leaders and Ohanaeze Ndigbo to meet the president over worsening insecurity in the region.

The governor said the prolonged sit-at-home directives were detrimental to the nation’s progress. While acknowledging the challenges faced by the Southeast region, Gov Hope Uzodinma believes that addressing the root causes of insecurity and implementing robust security measures will pave the way for economic growth and national unity.

According to his words; “the situation in the southeast is not as simple as some people think. There is no state government directive for sit-at-home order, they is no local government directive for sit-at-home order. But the situation is that because of the indiscriminate killing of people and high level of insecurity, our people are so afraid to come out.

“It is perception management that we are trying to do. So there is too much fear in the people. Otherwise, how can non-state actors give a sit-at-home order and it will be obeyed. People are scared. People are afraid because of what they have seen in the past.

“And nobody wants to die. Neither me nor any governor in the south east can stop sit-at-home, only the federal government has the power to stop sit-at-home order in the south east.