The Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has said he will not dethrone the traditional ruler of Afara Ukwu Ibeku Autonomous Community of the state, His Royal Highness, Eze Isreal Kanu, the father of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, because of the involvement of his son in the ongoing tension in the state.
A group, Umuahia Youth Movement, had on Sunday given Ikpeazu 24 hours within which to dethrone the traditional ruler for not calling his son to order.
But Ikpeazu, who was at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to see the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, told State House correspondents that he would not accede to the call.
He said: “I clearly separate Kanu from his father.
“The processes of handling traditional institutions are enshrined in the laws of our land.
“Traditional rulers, who are members of our constituency, have leadership, they will do the needful at the appropriate time.
“But for me, I think their is a clear division between Nnamdi Kanu and his father.”
ON the development on the state that led to the tension and what went wrong, Ikpeazu said: “It depends from what point to what point.
“But if you are referring to what happened in the past one week, Nigerians know that for some time now this group called IPOB is agitating for a separate nation called Biafra and that the home state of the leader of that group happens to be Abia State.
“As expected, when such things happen, there is an interface between some members of that group and the military, and the theater was Abia State.
“Some people attempted to hijack that event to conflagrate our country.
“To the glory of God, the rest is history.
“We are still working to stabilize the fragile peace in the region.
“I thank God also for the instruments he used to be able to keep our country as one.
“We are humbled by the privileges.”
Speaking on his meeting with some Northern Governors who visited some states in the South East and South South, including Abia State, Ikpeazu said: “Well, I assured them of safety of lives and property of everybody that resides in Abia, whether you are an Abian or not an Abian.
“I swore with the Bible to protect lives and property and because I take such things seriously.
“I will continue to protect the lives and property of my brothers and sisters irrespective of where they come from.
“You know that the main stay of our economy in Abia State is trade and commerce and I do not think it will augur well for our economy if we make our kitchen the theater of Biafra.
“A native wisdom in my place says you shouldn’t allow fight to ensue from your mother’s kitchen.
“It is my responsibility also to grow prosperity from my state.”
Commenting on the essence of his meeting with the Vice President, Ikpeazu said: “Well, naturally I am heading a subnational government when this kind of thing happens, which would have had dimension of national proportion, it is right that you will come and brief the Commander-in-Chief or his vice and that is exactly what I have come to do.”
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