Release Nnamdi Kanu immediately after swearing in, Soludo tasks Tinubu

Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo has asked President-elect, Bola Tinubu to release leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu immediately after he is sworn-into office on May 29.

Soludo said this in a statement he released on Tuesday on the conclusion of the 2023 general elections.

He congratulated Tinubu for emerging winner in the presidential election, while also hailing other candidates.

He further called for continuous electoral reforms to enhance citizens’ participation.

He said: “To me, the true heroes of the last elections are the citizens of Nigeria, especially the youths, whose voices will continue to be critical as we collectively strive to build a new Nigeria.  Nigeria is the winner, and I am confident that a better future lies ahead of us. Congratulations to all Nigerians!

“Let me also congratulate the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his election. We congratulate your closest opponents for their courageous and impressive outing. Nigeria needs healing and restructuring, and the fundamental challenges of insecurity and the economy remain humongous. We pledge to collaborate and partner with you and the Federal Government for the development of Anambra state and Nigeria.

“In this regard, may I repeat my previous calls and hereby request our President-Elect to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately after swearing-in (that is, if he is not released before then).  We need him around the table as an important stakeholder in discussions about healing and sustainable peace in the South East.

“To our newly elected colleagues (Governors-Elect), we say a big congratulation. Let us work together, especially under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) in pursuit of national common good. We also congratulate the elected members of the National and State Assemblies. We also thank millions of Nigerians who voted for candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) across the entire country.

“We have made modest gains by winning seats at the Senate, House of Representatives and State Assemblies across the country. As we reform and strengthen our party, we will continue to present our social-progressive agenda as the roadmap for the country. As true believers in the potentials of Nigeria, our party will continue to network and collaborate with all like-minded Nigerians and groups to advance the greatness of this country.

”So far, winners have been declared, and those who are dissatisfied with the results have their rights to pursue their grievances through the due process of the law. My own political party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, might challenge several of the results in pursuit of justice. While we will take all necessary legal steps to recover the seats we believe that APGA won especially in Anambra state but were mistakenly called for other parties, we also know that several of the announced ‘winners’ from other parties are ‘APGA-nized’ and are patriotic citizens of the State.

“We therefore expect a progressive House of Assembly that will partner with us to continue the transformation agenda. I hereby extend my hands of fellowship to the elected members of the State and National Assemblies from other political parties in Anambra State: let us work together for the greatness of our dear state. 

“Elections and partisan politics are over, and we should all now focus 100% of our time on delivering good governance to our people.”