IPOB Position on Self Rule is Childish, Says Okorocha

Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has stated that the agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for a sovereign republic in the South-east is borne out of childish behaviour.

Okorocha who spoke yesterday after leading a delegation of the forum on a sympathy visit to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and victims of the recent flood disaster in Benue State, said no reasonable Igbo man was backing the agitation.

“I have always said IPOB is an agitation group but the captioning is bad when you talk of sovereignty within a sovereign nation and also talking of secession

“Let me assure you that no Igbo person or man is in support of secession and people must see this as a childish act and we must stand up and address it before it becomes a national problem.

“As for us leaders in that area, it will be insane for anyone to think that the IPOB leader will ask us to follow him to seek secession. So Nigerians must learn to address it specifically. If you are addressing IPOB you should be specific and not to address it as if it’s an Igbo affair.

“So I must say unequivocally that no leader in Igbo land is in support of the IPOB activities.”

Okorocha who personally donated N10million to the victims, also sympathised with the state for the disaster, stressing that his team was a fact-finding mission to pave the way for a visit of the entire APC governors in the country.