Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has said he is ready to provide surety for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Thursday, the governor said he is determined to back his words with action.
Recall that Soludo called for Kanu’s release during the presidential campaign flag-off of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Awka, Anambra State on 15 January.
But the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday, said he was not in receipt of Soludo’s request to be Kanu’s surety.
In his reaction, the governor said he was happy that the minister reacted to his request, adding that he would in a few days officially write the Federal Government on his call for the release of the IPOB leader.
Soludo said insecurity had become a huge challenge and a big threat to the 2023 elections in the South-East, adding that critical stakeholders like Kanu are needed to be around the table where security in the region would be discussed.
He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his fast approach to solving the security challenges, not just in Anambra, but in the entire South-East.
He said: “The Federal Government will in a few days’ time receive a letter to guarantee Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the IPOB. This is not a personal matter. It is not about Charles Soludo; it is about the lives, security and prosperity of the entire Southeast.
“We need to be serious about this. We want this election to go peacefully in the Southeast. We want everybody to participate.
“We want peace and security to return. We want long-term transformation and for the Southeast to become very secure and prosperous, we need some stakeholders around the table.
“We are doing a lot by deploying a non-kinetic approach. We can’t have sustainable prosperity if we don’t have sustainable security.
“For this reason, I will continue to push with other leaders in the Southeast and all men and women of good intentions will join in this call.
“It is either they grant Nnamdi Kanu a conditional release in line with the court judgment, or grant him administrative bail.
“I am prepared to provide a surety to host him (Kanu) in the Government Lodge here in Anambra and provide him whenever he is required. I think this should be very straightforward to all of us.”
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