The senator representing Anambra South in the National Assembly, Ifeanyi Ubah, has warned that the Federal Government must take Nnamdi Kanu seriously.
The Indigenous People of Biafra had threatened to lockdown the South-East if Kanu was not released from detention on or before November 4.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, had in a statement, in response to the criticism against Buhari by a London-based news magazine, The Economist, said Nnamdi Kanu and his group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB ) do not enjoy much support in the Southeast.
Shehu also pointed out that Kanu and IPOB do not enjoy the support of Southeast governors and lawmakers.
Uba in an apparent response to the Presidential aide said Kanu, the detained leader of IPOB has many followers in the southeast.
He advised that the Federal Government must take Nnamdi Kanu seriously, reiterating that he commands unwavering support from his followers.
Speaking with Arise TV on Monday, Ubah, who is the candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the November 6 Anambra governorship election, revealed why he filed a motion through his counsel, Agugoesi Ikem, to visit Kanu in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The lawmaker said his aim is to persuade Kanu so that the threat by IPOB to lock down the South-East region won’t affect the Anambra governorship election slated for November 6.
He said, “IPOB is a very big force,” adding that he hopes to persuade them “to look into the issue” because boycotting the election “doesn’t really help our people.
“You must understand that Nnamdi Kanu has a lot of followers in the South-East. So, the government should take him seriously. But we are engaging and finding political solutions to this issue. We are engaging with IPOB and showing them the importance of this election.
“The most important thing is that the election is constitutional, and I’m also very much sure that on the day of the election, there will be a peaceful election in Anambra state,” he said.
“I’m the only politician that’s working hard to see the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu so that I can also have the opportunity of talking to him and get him to talk to his people to look into the issue. Because the election is constitutional, and if really anybody loves our people, they shouldn’t be saying there’ll be no election.
“It doesn’t really help our people. If there’s no election, there will be voter apathy, and somebody might come in and then do something that might not augur well.
“IPOB is a very big force because most of them are not even in Nigeria. And they have their way with the media, and people are listening to them. So, that’s why I have dedicated myself to how we can bring in and proffer a political solution.”
