As Nigerians head for the 2023 elections, a former Caretaker President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ralph Obioha, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to consider a political solution and release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Obioha said Kanu’s continued detention was responsible for the insecurity in the Southeast; hence his release would quell the challenge ahead of the general elections.
He also urged Buhari to consider the legacy he would leave behind and consider Kanu’s unconditional release rather than opting for law enforcement.
The former member of the defunct National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, made the call in an open letter to Buhari.
The letter reads partly: “It is with a high sense of patriotism and concern for the corporate existence of Nigeria that I hereby earnestly call on you to release Nnamdi Kanu from detention.
“I have followed events surrounding Kanu from when he was brought back to Nigeria from Kenya under circumstances that have been condemned by the courts of the land. It’s my understanding that even the United Nations has intervened with a call for his unconditional release.
“The coming 2023 election has provided an opportunity for Mr. President to reconsider the matter of Kanu and pursue the path of political solutions instead of the law enforcement solutions that appear to have made the situation worse.
“President, as you consider what will be your legacy, I will recommend that you keep in mind that Nigeria, under your watch, cannot afford to miss this golden opportunity to explore a more reconciliatory path to resolving this matter of Nnamdi Kanu and the issues driving it.”
Kanu has been locked up since he was rearrested and repatriated from Kenya.
The IPOB leader was rearrested over his agitation for the actualization of Biafra.
Following his return to Nigeria, the courts had ordered Kanu’s release, but the Nigerian government refused to release him.
While in detention, Kanu had alleged a plot on his life.