The meeting held at the Enugu State Government House .
It was the first time the governors are meeting Kanu , who is championing the pro- Biafran agitation in the South - East and parts of the South -South .
One of our correspondents learnt that issues surrounding the ongoing agitation, including IPOB ’s call for a boycott of the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State and the group ’s recent establishment of a ‘Biafra Secret Service ’, topped the agenda of the meeting .
The meeting had the Enugu State governor , Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi ; and the Ebonyi State governor , Dave Umahi, in attendance .
Nkem Okeke , deputy governor of Anambra State , represented Governor Willie Obiano.
Rochas Okorocha and Okezie Ikpeazu of Imo and Abia states respectively were absent and were not represented.
A source at the meeting said both governors were outside the country .
Kanu was accompanied to the meeting by elder statesman , Prof . Ben Nwabueze , and founder of the Igbo Youth Movement , Evangelist Elliot Uko.
The PUNCH equally learnt that the governors at the meeting , which held behind closed doors, spoke of the need for an amicable resolution of issues raised by the pro -Biafran activists .
While the governors have maintained that restructuring is the solution to the perceived marginalisation of the Igbo in the country , Kanu and other pro-Biafran agitators are clamouring for outright secession , and the emergence of an independent Biafran nation .
A communique after the meeting , read by Umahi, who is the chairman of the South -East Governors ’ Forum, said the governors noted the concerns raised by the IPOB as well as the secessionists’ demands .
According to the communique , the governors informed Kanu that the demands should not be absolute .
Further meetings are to be held between Kanu and the governors towards an amicable resolution of the issues , according to the communique .
The communiqué read , “ The meeting deliberated on the demands of the IPOB and noted its concerns accordingly .
“ However , the meeting agreed that these demands by IPOB should not be absolute ; rather the South -East governors shall immediately engage the leader of IPOB , Nnamdi Kanu , and the entire leadership of IPOB in further meetings and dialogue with a view to quickening the resolution of all issues amicably . ”
A source at the secretariat of the South - East Governors ’ Forum informed The PUNCH that the governors would persuade Kanu to drop the agitation for Biafra and embrace the campaign for restructuring.
Kanu , dressed in Jewish attire , arrived at the Enugu Government House , venue of the meeting , in a white Toyota Venza with the inscription, ‘Eze S. I . Kanu ’ on the number plate .
The vehicle apparently belongs to Kanu ’ s father , Eze S. I . Kanu .
The IPOB leader posed for a group photograph with the governors after the meeting before leaving the government house .
After Kanu ’s departure , the governors went into another meeting with a group of Igbo leaders , including the President -General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo , Chief Nnia Nwodo , and a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria , Prof . Charles Soludo .
IPOB leader ’ s planned re - arrest politically unwise, Umar tells FG
Meanwhile , a former military Governor of Kaduna State , Col . Abubakar Umar ( reted.) , has cautioned the Federal Government against a possible re -arrest of the IPOB leader on alleged breach of his bail conditions.
Umar , who is also the Chairman of the Movement for Unity and Progress , in a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna , noted that re -arrest of Kanu would be dangerous and politically unwise on the part of the government .
He stated, “Reports in the media indicate that the Federal Government has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to revoke the bail granted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and have him re -arrested . This is both dangerous and politically unwise.
“ Mazi Kanu is not a common criminal as the government appears to think . On the contrary, he is a bitter young man fighting for a fairer deal for his Igbo kinsmen .
“ His seeming militant approach is the result of the strong arm tactics with which the Federal Government deals with him . His long incarceration before a court granted him bail testifies to this .
“ Like Mazi Nnamdi Kanu , many Igbos genuinely feel marginalised since they belong to the category of those who gave Mr . President only five per cent of their votes and appeared to have fallen out of his favour .”
Umar argued that President Muhammadu Buhari’ s insistence that the unity of Nigeria was a settled issue was a nationalistic wish coming from a veteran of the civil war fought to keep the country as one .
However , he lamented that the President’ s view did not take into account the mood of the nation as indicated by the growing agitations for self - determination , restructuring and many other similar demands .
Umar said, “All indications are that Nigeria has become so polarised that it requires a strong personality like General Buhari to sustain its fragile unity . Needless to say that this does not bode well for the survival of the nation .
“ Nigeria ’ s unity can only be guaranteed when all its citizens feel they are getting a fair deal ; when all its component parts are treated justly and equitably ; when none feels oppressed .”
He said the fact that there were growing agitations for self - determination , restructuring and other similar demands spoke gravely of the way the federation was being governed .
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