Michael Ovat, Author at Tribune Online

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano has explained why he did not attend the South-East governors' meeting held in Enugu on Tuesday Governor Obiano, who dismissed the insinuation that his absence at the meeting where the state of the insecurity in the zone was discussed, as a mark of his insensitiveness to the welfare and safety of the people, said that he stayed off the gathering so as not be in the same meeting with the governors sponsoring the bloodletting in Anambra State. Nigerian Tribune gathered that the meeting was convened to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the South East region, particularly Anambra State. The absence of Obiano at the security meeting triggered a lot of controversies as his political traducers accused him of being insensitive to the security of lives and property of the people. However, Obiano has fired back at his detractors, explaining that he deliberately stayed away as he could not fathom sitting to discuss security with certain individuals who were behind the violence plaguing his state. Governor Obiano, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ifeatu Obiokoye, described the controversy as “mere factory noise” from desperate politicians who were out to justify the sponsorship of their benefactors. The governor stressed that he could not sit in a meeting with those he described as sponsors of the killings in his state. “Did you really expect my governor would be meeting, and dining with some persons ostensibly funding and sponsoring insecurity and terrorism in Anambra State? The governor's aide queried. “What people are saying goes to no issue in the first instance because it is a public knowledge that those doing the killings are not from Anambra State and no Anambra person would go to this extent. “These people are from outside Anambra State and those sponsoring them are from outside Anambra State and you expect the governor to be holding meetings with them on security challenges which those people are executing? “Be it known to all and sundry that the killings are politically motivated to create voter apathy in Anambra and then manipulate the electoral process to the advantage of these desperados. "The governor has already put in place a full proof security arrangements to nip the problem in the bud than going to sit in a meeting to tell the same people what he is doing to stop them killing innocent people in Anambra state,” Obiokoye said. It would be recalled that Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, wife of late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, had urged the governor to attend the meeting because, according to her, "Anambra state is boiling" and that he had to take charge and arrest incidents of killing in the state. Also the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC ) Sen Andy Uba had accused the governor of not rising to the challenges of insecurity in the state, alleging that he had been overwhelmed by it. YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Buhari Urges MTN For Quality Service, Downward Price Review In Cost Of Data, Other Services President Muhammadu Buhari Friday at State House Abuja urged the MTN Group to make the available top-of-the-range service to its Nigerian subscribers... Obiano explains absence at South-East governors' meeting in Enugu Obiano explains absence at South-East governors' meeting in Enugu Obiano explains absence at South-East governors' meeting in Enugu Obiano explains absence at South-East governors' meeting in Enugu.