Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has congratulated the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the newly-elected governors.
He also made case for release of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who had been in detention since he was arrested and brought in from Kenya over two years ago
The Anambra governor, who also lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for conducting a good election, noted that the country must continue to reform and strengthen its electoral processes and citizens’ political participation in her march towards a more perfect system.
In a statement yesterday, Soludo said that beyond the elections, the insecurity ravaging the South-East should be of concern to all.
Consequently, he called on Tinubu to quickly release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, immediately after his swearing-in.
Soludo said: “The 2023 general election in Nigeria has come and gone. 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.
“Let me also congratulate the President-elect, 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. This is the only country that we call ours and we must make it work.”
He called on all those who feel aggrieved about the elections to take relevant steps in recovering their mandate by following the due process of approaching the court.
Soludo added: “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.
“While our efforts with the security agencies are yielding significant results, we believe that sustainable peace and security will be enhanced through wider non-kinetic engagements with all critical stakeholders.”
