Governor Peter Mbah has revealed the only way Nnamdi Kanu will be freed.
Newsone Nigeria reports that the governor of Enugu State, southeast Nigeria, Peter Mbah, has restated his belief that the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, can only be resolved through a political process.
Governor Mbah, who spoke during a state-wide broadcast on Tuesday following his public defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), said his position on the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu has remained consistent since he assumed office.
The Enugu State Governor said. “It took barely a week after I assumed office that I had a meeting with the President, and I was very specific when I came out to address the press that I also raised the issue of Nnamdi Kanu with the President.”
Governor Mbah explained that he had always believed that resolving the matter politically remained the most sustainable approach.
“I believe strongly that the Nnamdi Kanu problem is going to be solved politically,” he said. “With this now, I think it is also an opportunity for the South-East to consolidate our position and make a very strong case for this to be resolved politically.”
Governor Mbah urged stakeholders across the South-East to embrace the concept of a political resolution and to work collectively in shaping a unified position before engaging with the federal authorities.
“First of all, we need to accept the concept that this is the right thing to do,” he said. “Then, the details of implementation will be worked out because there will certainly be details. It is not something you can possibly outline now, but it’s for us to even accept the concept that this is the way to move forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, Newsone reports that Governor Mbah’s statement is coming a few days after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also criticised the prolonged detention of the IPOB leader, describing it as “an open sore on our nation’s conscience.”
Atiku called for Kanu’s immediate release, insisting that his prolonged detention represented a grave violation of the rule of law.
Nnamdi Kanu has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in Kenya and subsequent extradition to Nigeria in June 2021.
His detention has been marred by legal controversies, including multiple court orders granting him bail orders that have not been complied with by the prosecuting authorities.
Nnamdi Kanu, a leader of the IPOB and Director of Radio Biafra, is currently facing a seven-count charge related to alleged terrorism activities.
