President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized to South-South Governors, and leaders from the region, over a cancelled meeting in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The apology statement by the Presidency on the cancelled meeting which was released on Wednesday 18th November 2020, by the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, is coming barely 24hours after the South-South Governors, leaders and youths demanded for an apology from the President, after expressing their disgust as to how the Federal government do not regard the region which is the economic backbone of the country.
The statement by the Presidency expressed regret for the cancelled meeting, and the inconvenience caused the hosts of the meeting.
The statement reads:
“The Presidency wishes to explain that the absence of the federal government delegation at the planned meeting with governors and stakeholders of the South-South region was necessitated by an emergency security meeting summoned by the President, certainly not out of disrespect.
The delegation to the meeting, under the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, ministers and heads of security and intelligence agencies were in full readiness to proceed to Port Harcourt until they were directed to stay back for the emergency security meeting.
This information and regret for the inconvenience caused were conveyed to the hosts of the meeting through what we believed were the right channels.
As may have been gleaned from the statement read by the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, the extraordinary National Security Council meeting, under the President, was called in view of the gravity of the security situation affecting all parts of the country, including the South-South in the aftermath of the ENDSARS protests, and the need to rise to protect our national security and territorial integrity.
The President is strongly and resolutely committed to hearing from leaders, stakeholders and our youth on burning issues affecting all parts of the federation,and to this effect, a new date for the meeting with the South-South will be agreed after due consultations with the parties concerned.
Once again, the unavoidable postponement of the meeting is regretted,” the statement said.