The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has said the people of the South-East must take bold decisions and change their political approach if they want to secure more benefits from the Federal Government.
He urged the region to stop relying on opposition politics and instead engage President Bola Tinubu’s government through dialogue and negotiations.
Uzodimma made the call on Friday while addressing South-East stakeholders at a high-level meeting held at the Imo State Government House in Owerri, NEWSNGR reports.
The governor said the region needed to move away from constant complaints about political marginalisation and focus on building relationships with other parts of the country to advance its interests.
He noted that the Nigerian project was bigger than any individual or regional interest, adding that the South-East must work with the Federal Government to achieve its goals.
Uzodimma said, “We need results, we must change our style, we must agree on how to sit down with the man in power and negotiate our interest. We must forget about local competitions. We as Igbo people must take bold decisions.”
He added that South-East governors alone could not achieve the region’s political goals without the support and involvement of other stakeholders.
“The South-East governors are merely servants, power and sovereignty belongs to the people. We cannot work alone. We must work with stakeholders. The politics of opposition should not continue to be in place,” he said.
The governor also compared the South-East’s political approach with that of other regions, noting that leaders from the South-South, Middle Belt and North-East had met with the President to discuss their interests.
He expressed concern that while other regions were engaging the Federal Government, the South-East continued to complain about marginalisation.
Uzodimma, therefore, urged stakeholders to prepare a clear list of the region’s needs, backed by facts and figures, for presentation to President Tinubu.
He said the document would provide a basis for discussions and negotiations with the President on issues affecting the South-East.
