Verbal sledge hammer has fallen on Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, over his comment that there is no evidence that the South -East is marginalized as the apex Igbo sociocultural group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, prominent politicians and activists from the South East have castigated the governor for a statement they say is laughable.
Umahi, while fielding questions during a live television programme on June 15 had said it would be difficult to prove that the South-East was marginalized as it was being perceived by the Igbo. According to him, every region in the country has been marginalised in one way or the other. He averred that the misinformation of the marginalization of the Igbo had fuelled the current agitations for secession and unrest in the region.
But, in countering the governor’s assertion, the National Vice Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Okeke Ogene, in a phone interview, said Gov. Umahi was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the South-East. “David Umahi is speaking for himself, not as the chairman of the South East Governors Forum, if at all he said it. We in Ohanaeze, we have a culture. We don’t attack our brother. The issue of governors and Ohaneze is discussed inside, not outside. If he said it, then the National President of Ohanaeze must find out the reason he said such,” Ogene added.
Similarly, the Secretary General of the factional Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Ikechukwu Isiguzoro, speaking to our correspondent in Enugu, said though he did not want to take issue with Umahi or anyone else, the comments attributed to the Ebonyi governor were laughable. “If the South -East is not being marginalized, why is it that none of the persons from there is heading any of the security agencies?” he asked, insisting that the marginalization of the region was pervasive as it extended to the denial of critical infrastructure such as railways and seaports.
Isiguzoro declared that since Ndi Igbo had always been at the receiving end of every negative trend in the country, it was a clear indication that the South -East, which is home to Ndi Igbo, is marginalized and he advised state governors in the region to work out ways of remediation. Also, the Anambra State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okoli Akirika, in his reaction said the marginalization of the South -East was beyond what people perceived. He said Sections 14 and 16 of the constitution provide that the composition of any government should be done in a manner that reflects the nation’s diversity. “There is no section of this country or a combination of sections that can predominate over others. So, it’s really surprising that the governor of Ebonyi State is saying that we Igbos are not marginalized. Let us take the issue of appointments. There is no doubt that there is no Igbo man in the security architecture of this country.
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