Former Nigerian Senator, Samuel Anyanwu has appealed to governors of Igbo extraction, traditional rulers, religious and political leaders in the South-East not to shy away from identifying with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
He said that the Biafra agitator remains innocent of the whole allegations against him until a competent court of higher jurisdiction proves otherwise and as such, should not be abandoned.
Anyanwu, who represented Owerri Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, made this known in a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media, Ikenna Onuoha.
Read Also: Federal System Highly Imbalanced, Poorly Managed – Jega Advocates Restructuring
While condemning the height of insecurity and unjust arrest of innocent citizens in the South-East zone, Senator Anyanwu enjoined governors of Igbo extraction to urgently wade into the matter to dialogue with the Federal Government in order to fast-track his unconditional release.
The Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, said,” following the arrest of the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB ), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian Government, I call on South East to unite against the injustice meted out at the zone.”
The statement reads partly, “I appealed to Igbo leaders not to shy away from identifying with him, maintaining that so far, no court in the land has convicted him of any offense and as such, should not be abandoned.”
Senator Anyanwu, therefore, urged the Igbo to toe the same line of action the Yoruba leaders adopted in defending their own, Mr Sunday Igboho, pointing out that Mazi Kanu’s arrest should not scare anyone away from speaking against the marginalisation of the zone by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His words, “When the Igbo begin to desert their own to incarcerate in the prison, strangers will seize to accord respect to them. All hands must be on deck irrespective of political affiliations to ensure the speedy release of one of our own. As an Igbo man, no way shall we deny him even if convicted”.