News Punch has now been privy to what some Igbo leaders led by a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani under the auspices of South-East Group for Change discussed yesterday at a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari as the Aso Rock Presidential villa.
None of those in the delegation agreed to field questions when approached by State House correspondents after they emerged from the meeting. Nnamani calmly waved off attempt to interview him, saying: “No, no, not now!”
It was gathered that the delegation told President Buhari that Igbo do not believe the allegation that he does not like them, as he had, in the past, picked a vice presidential candidate from the South-East, The Daily Sun Newspaper confirmed
Also, the delegation told the president that the fact that the second Niger Bridge was accommodated in the 2016 budget was an indication that he loves Ndigbo.
The delegation, however, asked him to extend more appointments to Igbo in order to help the APC gain a better foothold in the region.
The delegation also demanded that Buhari visits South East and personally receive Igbo who would defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On the pro-Biafra agitation, the delegation told President Buhari that the detention of Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, is fuelling it, while suggesting that his release would douse the tension.
In his reply, Buhari reportedly told the delegation that the notion that he hates Igbo is not true. He was said to have told the visitors that children of the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, are his friends.He told the delegation also that if he does not like Igbo he would not have received them, while promising that he will continue to work with South easterners.
The Southeast group had visited the President twenty-four hours after a bloody clash between security agencies and pro-Biafran groups in the region, where about 30 people dead, including three policemen.
The 18-man delegation arrived the Presidential Villa in a bus belonging to the Ken Nnamani Leadership Institute. They included the National Auditor of the APC, George Moghalu; former Senators Ifeanyi Ararume and Osita Izunaso; former Executive Vice-Chairman of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Ernest Ndukwe, APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Emma Eneukwu; member of the APC Board of Trustees, Chief Austin Edeze; Dr. Uzoma Obiyo, Chris Akomas among others.
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