The South East Senate Caucus on Tuesday met with the President, Muhammadu Buhari over the prevailing security situation in the region occasioned by the activities of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the ongoing Operation Python Dance by the Nigerian Army. The Senators were led to the Villa by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Addressing State House Correspondents after the closed door session with the President, the Deputy Senate President said the group drew the attention of the President to the alleged neglect of the South East in terms of federal appointments and infrastructural development and stressed the need for dialogue as a means for peaceful resolution of the issues.
“For us from the South East, we believe that dialogue is better than any other form of engagement. So, we decided to visit the President and present to him some of the concerns of the South East including the issues of roads, general infrastructure; the rail, airports and others.
“We also discussed the issue of security with him and of course the issue of IPOB. We had a good conversation and he promised to look into the issues.”
The Chairman of the South East Senate Caucus, Eyinnaya Abaribe, who also addressed the newsmen lamented that the current administration was treating the region as an outcast as it remains shortchanged at the federal level.
“This is the southeast caucus in the Senate and we came to see the president because of the issues we have in the southeast. We had a fruitful discussion with the President. He has promised us that he is going to look into the problems of southeast.
“We know that there are problems everywhere but we also believe that the South East is the zone that is far much shortchanged at this time than other zones.
“We also talked about the issue of appointments from the South East, especially with respect to the National Security Council. The President also told us that governors of the South East have also engaged him in the same problems we engaged him in.
“We are reassured with the response we got from the President and we look forward to further interaction with him in this manner.”
Abaribe who signed the bail bond for IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu to facilitate his release from prison is facing threat of arrest, prosecution and jail following Kanu's alleged disappearance. The Presidency in a statement issued two days ago said Kanu's sureties would be held accountable if he fails to appear in court at the next sitting.
