South East deserves additional state, says Turaki

By Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

Former Minister of Special Duties and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential aspirant, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has promised to set up a committee to look at the issue of an additional state for the South East, if given the opportunity to become the country’s president in 2019.
Turaki made the promise while addressing PDP members including delegates to the party’s national convention at the state secretariat in Owerri, IMO State on Wednesday.
The presidential aspirant, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), emphatically said that he believes in restructuring that will ensure true federalism, resource control, devolution of power and additional state for the South East.
He noted that the Nigeria Police is being overstretched in carrying out its constitutional duties, saying that his Administration, if he is given the opportunity to become the president, will look at the issue of state police.
Tanimu explained that his presidential aspiration and that of other aspirants in the PDP is not about individual interests, but it is about the bigger picture of salvaging Nigeria from the shackles of insecurity, poverty, economic strangulation and pervasive injustice and intimidation which the APC has subjected Nigerians to.
Senator Sam Anyanwu (PDP, IMO State) described the presidential aspirant as a man of conscience for addressing fundamental issues that are troubling the nation, while the chairman, PDP Imo State, Barrister Charles Ezekwem noted that Tanimu’s antecedents has put him in a strong contention for the mandate which he is seeking.
The presidential aspirant had earlier paid a courtesy visit on a veteran politician, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the Ahaeji Aga Mba Ndigbo, who assured Tanimu that he is ‘not difficult to market in Igboland’ considering his integrity, dynamism, depth of knowledge of Nigeria’s problems which he promised to address, and his capacity to build bridges of friendship across the country.
“I regard you as a serious candidate judging by your pedigree and the quality of your campaign team,” Chief Iwuanyanwu said.
The veteran politician noted that the Igbo youth are not happy about the current situation. “The truth is,” he said, “this government (federal government) has not patronized us much.”
Chief Iwuanyanwu who noted also that Nigeria is a great country, stated that nobody will support the breakup of the country.