Chairman of South East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, has dismissed the purported travel ban placed on South-East governors and other prominent eastern politicians by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The governor, who spoke to State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, said it was an empty threat, which IPOB lacked the power to make.
He said no responsible government would allow a proscribed group to promote lawlessness.
Umahi boasted that he would inform IPOB members whenever he planned to travel out of Nigeria.
He said: “We have no apology for IPOB because we did not proscribe them. Yes, we are the leaders of the people and we had to speak against their activities.”
He added: “IPOB has no powers to place a travel ban on governors or anyone. I will even tell IPOB any time I intend to travel”, he stated.
Umahi also dismissed the demand for an apology by IPOB, noting that it was not the governors who proscribed the group but the Federal Government
“We have no apology for IPOB because we did not proscribe them. Yes, we are the leaders of the people and we had to speak against their activities.”
Umahi noted that Southeast Governors were working hard to ensure security in the region, adding that some of the action taken so far was the ban placed on herdsmen.
He called on stakeholders to be matured and more circumspect in the utterances.