Don’t dare:  Ohanaeze warns Uzodimma against backing out of southern governors’ anti-open grazing agreement 

An Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has warned Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State against backing out of the agreement the 17 southern governors reached at its conference in Adsba, Delta State capital, to ban open grazing across all the state’s in the South.

The 17 governors of the southern states had agreed that legislative houses of states in the South should make laws forbidding open grazing of cattle before September 1, 2021.

However,  Uzodimma during the week reportedly declared that there is no law forbidding open grazing by cattle rearers in the state.

He said: “I don’t have any law in Imo State for anti-grazing. But what we have done is that we are regulating grazing activities in Imo State under a partnership between our farmers and herders.

“They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in my office and agreed to work together. And both parties are going about their businesses without interfering or causing any grievance or anger to each other.”

In a swift reaction apex socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, blasted Uzodinma for toeing such a path.

The statement read: “Our suspicion had been reinforced with the continued absence of Governor Hope Uzodinma in the meetings of Southern Governors in Asaba and Lagos, which was intentional and premeditated to ambush the resolutions of the Southern Governors.

“He will never escape the venom of Ndigbo, as he will surely taste the retribution of God and wrath of the people as a confirmed saboteur and this will serve as a warning to any Igbo governor that will follow such a decision. They will never escape the wrath of the people.”

Similarly, the Chidi Ibeh-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has warned Uzodimma of the consequences of reneging on the agreement, saying the governor’ controversy had already attracted a backlash against his government.