President Muhammadu Buhari will be in the South East today It is his first trip to the region since he took office in 2015.
The renewed attempt by the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to renew the Igbo’s agitation for secession was stopped by troops, forcing Kanu to flee.
He has not been seen and there have be conflicting reports on his whereabouts.
“Mr President will be visiting two southeast states of Ebonyi and Anambra,” Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu confirmed in statement yesterday.
President Buhari wil leave Abuja today (Tuesday) and return tomorrow.
In Ebonyi, he will inaugurate many projects undertaken by the Governor Dave Umahi administration while in Anambra, he will campaign for the candidate of his party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) – in Saturday’s governorship election Tony Nwoye .
Imo State Governor Rocha Okorocha had spoken of the need for Mr President “to come to the South East as quickly as possible, to begin to show his presence.”
Okorocha said: “Luckily, the President will be coming to Ebonyi state, very soon and he will pass through Imo state to Anambra state.
“So, covering three states within this short time will be a right step in the right direction, because we have come to realise in the Southeast that we are better of in APC than any other party in the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’’ he said
Governor Umahi said last week: “We are fully prepared for the visit. We pleaded with Mr President for the visit and before then, we have been preparing, we are fully prepared.”
The Ebonyi State Police Command yesterday warned the proscribed IPOB and political parties’ supporters against disruptive acts during visit.
The state Police Commissioner Titus Lamorde, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki.
He assured that the command was well equipped to deal with all forms of security challenges before, during and after the President’s visit.
According to Lamorde, any individual or group of persons that foment trouble before, during and after the visit would be severely dealt with, as people are advised to conduct themselves well.
“I will not disclose the number of personnel we have drafted for security reasons, but I assure citizens that enough personnel have been deployed across the state to ensure a hitch-free visit.
“The President’s visit is a welcome development as the citizens should cooperate with security agencies to make it a successful one,” he said.
He stated that his officers had been adequately trained to relate well with the citizens during the visit and advised people to conduct their activities within the confines of the law.
“We would not meddle into political issues as security outfit, but the visit is developmentally-oriented because of the numerous projects the President would inaugurate.
“My officers would not intimidate or harass individuals or groups as the duty of ensuring a hitch-free event is a collective one,” he said.