Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has said that his state will not take part in the struggle for the actualization of Biafra.
Umahi who made this known in Abakaliki, the state capital on Thursday during a reception organized for him after declaring his presidential bid in Abuja earlier in the week, said his state will not be part of the agitation for a sovereign nation for the Igbos.
“First and foremost, I have been saying it, if anybody tells you about Biafra, tell them Ebonyi State will never be part of Biafra. We are not Biafra. We have been so oppressed and now we are finding our feet and you want us to go back. We will not. We will not,” the governor declared.
Speaking on his 2023 presidential ambition, the governor allayed fears making the rounds suggesting that any Southeasterner who emerges president might split the nation.
He argued that Igbos have investment everywhere across the country, saying it would be impossible to think of secession when in power.
“Some enemies of the South-East say if we become president we will divide the country. How will we divide the country when we have investments everywhere?” the governor questioned.
Reaffirming his stand regarding the Biafra push, Umahi stated that “anyone that wants to cause insecurity in the South-East must be crushed”.
According to the governor, Ebonyi State is better in a fair and equitable Nigeria because the state has investments everywhere and one cannot set fire to his own house.
He vowed that if he becomes president, he will further the projects of President Buhari and fight the corruption in Nigeria to a standstill. The governor was resolute that it is time to build a better Nigeria.
“What we did in Ebonyi State, we can replicate in Nigeria. Nigeria is a possibility. Before 31st of January, 2022, we will do our declaration to run for the Presidency.”