A leader of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, during an interview with The Punch, talked about alleged marginalization in the South-East region, the recent loss of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Edo State governorship election, high cost of living in Nigeria and other related matters.
When he was talking about the secessionist movement in South-East, Joe Igbokwe said that he was not in support of the movement. And that it is better for Igbo people to remain unified with Nigeria.
He claimed the South-East geopolitical zone is indeed marginalised, especially when people compare the number of states in each region, as other regions have six or seven states, while the South-East geopolitical zone has only five.
He said, “During former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, there was a proposal to create an additional state in the South-East. Just as it was about to be signed, Enugu and Imo states disagreed on who would give up territory.
Further talking, he said, “Enugu wanted Nsukka, while Imo wanted Mbaise. Their inability to reach a consensus led to the proposal being abandoned by the president. That’s why we are where we are today. Whatever is happening to the Igbo people is, to a large extent, self-inflicted.”