Governor Fayose opposes secession saying it is too late in the day for Nigeria to be dismembered

EKITI State governor Ayo Fayose has dismissed calls for the dismemberment of Nigeria pointing out that it too late for the country to disintegrate as a binding commonality has been forged over the last 57 years.

Governor Fayose, who has been a fierce critic of President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) government, has been sympathetic to the plight of opposition groups like the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob). However, Governor Fayose has pointed out that unlike secessionist campaigners such as Ipob, he does not believe in the destruction of Nigeria.

According to Governor Fayose, it is too late for Nigeria to break up and he thus called for dialogue to resolve various agitations in the country. He said the recent meeting between southeast governor and Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu provided a veritable platform, which all Igbo must key into otherwise they would remain guinea pigs in Nigeria.

Also, the governor, who appealed to the federal government to seek political solutions to agitations by Nigerians as against the use of brute force said, he remained committed to the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria. Governor Fayose blamed the actions and utterances of President Buhari for the agitations going on in the country.

Governor Fayose said: "I am particularly glad that southeast governors have come to the realisation that they cannot ignore their own in times like this as agitation is normal and must not be ignored, although the approach should be handled with caution. The father figure of this country is President Buhari and if his language does not represent unity, there will be agitations like we are witnessing now.

“A father figure rallies even the bad boys in his house but the utterances and actions of Buhari when he became president were against the unity of this country. How can a president say that he will only attend to the needs of those who gave him 97% of the vote and neglect others who didn’t vote for him?"

He added that for Nigeria to move forward and in unity, there must be no sectionalism, there must be no oppression and there must be justice and equity. Furthermore, the governor commended northern leaders for standing up to ensure that the Arewa youths’ quit notice against the Igbo in the north was resolved and withdrawn without necessarily arresting and detaining anyone.

Saying that the same could be achieved by the Igbo leaders, he warned that arresting or re-arresting Mr Kanu may be counter-productive as it may be perceived as vilification of the entire southeast geopolitical zone. Already, the federal government has sought a court order to re-arrest Mr Kanu for breaching his bail conditions.