Abia, Ebonyi govs have failed –Group

A group, Ndigbo Uni­ty Forum (NUF), has said Governors Theodore Orji and Martin Elechi of Abia and Ebonyi states respectively have failed in the discharge of their duties as governors.

The group in a state­ment jointly signed by Messrs Augustine Chukwu­dum and Chinedu Onyebuchi, president and secretary general respectively, urged the gover­nors to forget their senatorial ambitions in next year’s gen­eral elections.

The statement read in part: “Based on the assessment of performances of the five South-East governors, we unanimously agreed that Gov­ernors Theodore Orji and Mar­tin Elechi of Abia and Ebonyi states respectively have failed woefully. We also condemn the invasion of the National Assembly by the police on the order of the Presidency.”

Commending the Anambra State Governor, Chief Wil­lie Obiano, for ensuring the security of lives and property in Anambra State, the group also commended Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime for making infrastructure develop­ment a priority in the state, and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State for his free education programme.

The NUF said after weigh­ing several factors, it had ad­opted Okorocha as its sole can­didate for the 2015 presidential election, saying it believed that the Imo governor’s candidacy “will assure the Igbo that they have fully been integrated into the Nigeria project after the civil war.

“Rochas has proven through his numerous contributions as a private citizen that he is a detribalized Nigerian. Rochas through his Owelle Foundation has shown that he understands the plight of the common man in the street. Rochas has also proven through his perfor­mances and achievement as a governor in Nigeria that he has in-depth knowledge of how the Nigeria systems work.

“We call on all Igbo to give their unalloyed support to Ro­chas. We call on all patriotic Nigerians that are for equity and fairness to ensure that they use their voting rights in vot­ing Rochas. We call on all religious leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the country to sensitize their people on the importance of working for the emergence of Rochas as the president of the country.

“We called for the imme­diate sack of the inspector general of police over his des­ecration of the nation’s sacred institutions,” the statement added.