Chekwas Okorie, the founder of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and its current Board of Trustees Chairman, has labeled the recent calls for the creation of Anioma, Orlu, and Etiti states in the Southeast as legitimate but dismissed them as mere political grandstanding given the substantial challenges posed by the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).
He pointed out that these constitutional hurdles make such state creation efforts more symbolic than practical.
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Okorie also addressed the ongoing violence in the Southeast, characterizing the killings as largely self-inflicted and unfortunate.
He noted that the governors of the Southeast are forced to divert scarce resources that could be used for development toward combating the scourge of killings and kidnappings in the region.
He called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to strengthen collaboration with the Southeast governors to effectively tackle the criminal activities plaguing the area.
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Okorie expressed confidence that President Tinubu could make significant progress by using his constitutional authority to instruct the Minister of Justice to enter a nolle prosequi in the case of Nnamdi Kanu and other Igbo activists detained for advocating for the self-determination of their people.
He believes that unconditional release of Kanu would go a long way toward resolving the insecurity and unrest in the Southeast.
Regarding the “Igbo-Must-Go” campaign in Lagos, Okorie expressed relief that many Nigerians across all levels of society have condemned the inciting and provocative call by unpatriotic elements for the Igbo to leave Lagos.
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However, he criticized the federal and Lagos State governments for their tepid response to the threats, suggesting that their actions—or lack thereof—indicate a degree of complicity or tolerance.
Okorie specifically questioned why President Tinubu has not called for the resignation of his aide, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who made controversial statements on social media. He also expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the weak condemnation of the offensive tweets by those behind the “Lagospedia” campaign, asserting that the Lagos State government should have apprehended and prosecuted the perpetrators to send a strong message of deterrence.
