Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, departs Abuja this morning for Accra, Ghana to represent Nigeria at an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government deliberating today on the political situation in Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.

The meeting which is coming as part of the resolutions reached at last week’s virtual meeting chaired by Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, will review the report of the ECOWAS delegation despatched to Quagadougou to meet with the military junta who recently seized power in Burkina Faso.

The summit is being attended by regional leaders who will be considering imposing additional sanctions after the country was suspended from the regional body last week.

Last Monday, soldiers forced the removal of democratically elected President Roch March Kabore from office in a military coup. The military takeover of government in Burkina Faso follows the same occurrence in Mali and Guinea recently.

It would be recalled that the President has been delegating the Vice President to represent Nigeria at a series of ECOWAS leaders’ summits on the issues of undemocratic, military takeover of governments in the region.

The Vice President was accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, Presidential Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu, himself also an Ambassador, and other top Nigerian diplomats. The VP is expected back in Abuja later today.

A frontline pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, the South East Revival Group (SERG) has demanded full convincing explanation from Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on his mission in the All Progressives Congress (APC), giving him a 14-day ultimatum to do so.

The President and National Coordinator of the group, Chief Willy Ezugwu in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday said “the reason given by the Governor for jumping into the APC boat at a time South East is agitating to be given the opportunity to produce the next President of Nigeria in 2023 is not justifiable and therefore unacceptable.

“It is very obvious that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained anti-South East perception and its hatred for the people of the region became very obvious since the party began its appointment for several offices, except the constitutionally guaranteed appointment like ministerial positions.

“We have seen persons of South East extraction vacate offices and people from other regions replace them.

“So, for such a South East leader like Gover Umahi who is occupying an exhaulted position as the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum to suddenly wake up and make the kind of political adventure he has made is very suicidal and requires convincing explanations.

“The Governor has given a political explanation as to why he joined the perceived enemy of the South East, but his reason is hereby rejected as it is not cogent enough.

“We hereby give the Governor seven days to convince all South East stakeholders on his real mission in the APC and how his mission relates to the ongoing agitation for the South East to be given the opportunity to produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor come 2023.

“For us, any political party that will not be favourably disposed to a South East Presidency in 2023 is part of the enemies of the region and equity demands that an Igbo emerge the next President.

“We hereby warn all political, religious, and traditional leaders in the South East to be careful about their political moves and relationships with political parties ahead of 2023 general election as any effort to sabotage South East interests as regards producing the next Nigerian President will never be acceptable and shall only be resisted”, the SERG warned.