Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta State, has hit back on those who are opposed to the call for restructuring and a National Dialogue, canvassed by Southern Governors at their meeting in Asaba this week.
It would be recalled that on Thursday, Lawan, who was at the presidential villa, Abuja for prayers criticized the governors’ resolutions, saying that they should first restructure their states before talking about restructuring at the federal level.
Okowa, speaking at an empowerment program hosted by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu in Asaba, said it was unfortunate that the Senate President was quoted as saying that Southern Governors should not have taken the position they took.
Okowa insisted that what the southern governors said was not new, since such positions have been canvassed by Nigerians including the APC and PDP in different ways.
“Unfortunately, I read in the paper somebody saying that we ought not to speak on certain things because we are elected people. If you cannot echo the voice of your people, then you are not worthy of that position you are holding.
“All those things that we said in our communique are not new. They have been spoken by our people and what we did was just echo their wishes.”
The governor insisted that Nigerians must gather at a table to discuss the good and future of the country.
“We reaffirm, as elected governors, we believe in the unity of our people. That cannot be a reason for us to be vilified. “When we sit at the table, we will be able to discuss best what is good for Nigeria”, he said
The southern governors also banned the open grazing of cattle in all the states in southern Nigeria, comprising the South West, South East and South-South geopolitical region.
