Indications have emerged that acting President Yemi Osinbajo will not meet with the south as a unit as demanded by southern leaders in his ongoing consultations with stakeholders to douse the rising ethnic tensions in the country.
The tension arose as a result of agitation for secession by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and the quit notice given to Igbos living in the north by northern youth groups.
The leaders of Southern Nigeria under Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the South-South in an emergency meeting in Lagos on Sunday, had demanded that the acting President refrain from meeting with South East leaders separately rather than meeting with the South as a unit.
They were led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo (Afenifere), former Chief of General Staff, Chief Ebitu Ukiwe (Ohanaeze Ndigbo) and Chief Albert Horsefall (South South).
According to them, they had come together to together in the interest of peace, equity, social justice and political tolerance.
The leaders had noted that the failure of the federal government to arrest the brains behind the quit notice gave the impression of an impending doom and the only way to avert such, not only now but in future, is to restructure the country to achieve true federalism.
The southern leaders had objected to the exclusion of South West and South South leaders in the meetings Osinbajo had so far held with leaders from the North and South East, saying that the South must be taken as one in the consultations as they believe that an attack on the South East is an attack on the South.
The Presidency declined to directly respond to the demands as at Tuesday, only saying that it had resolved to meet with those already scheduled and governors of the 36 states of the federation.
The governors meeting with the acting President is expected to take place on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, when contacted by the Tribune Online, declined to speak specifically on the southern leaders demand but stressed that his meetings that had already been scheduled would go on.
He said: “Government is always engaged in formal and informal engagements with people. And in this case, in addition to meeting with leaders from the South East and the North, acting President will be meeting all state governors later this week.”
Pressed further to be specific on the southern leaders’ demands, the acting President’s spokesman said: “The way we are involving them (southern leaders) is by meeting with these people. We are meeting with state governors.”
Osinbajo kicked off the consultative meeting on Tuesday last week, hosting regional leaders of thought and religious leaders from the North at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
That was followed by a meeting of state governors and leaders of thought from the South East on Wednesday and South East royal fathers on Sunday.
He was also scheduled to meet with northern royal fathers on Monday but the meeting was postponed to Tuesday at the last minute because of an oversight in excluding some major stakeholders in the invitation.
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