Gov. Ortom dumps APC

Immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu and 4 other demands Soludo, Utomi, others made from FG

On Tuesday, February 28, the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Chukwuma Soludo and seven other notable Igbo leaders visited the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Nnamdi Kanu in Kuje Prison.

After the visit Soludo alongside renowned economist, Pat Utomi; national secretary Alliance Democracy Udenta Udenta; Law Mefor, Ferdinand Agu, Emeka Ugwu-Oju, Tony Nnadi held a press conference at the Chelsea Hotel in Abuja.

At the press conference, the leaders under the Nzuko Umunna, a Pan-Igbo group whose members are individual professional within Nigeria and in the Diaspora, members and leaders of Pan-Igbo associations and groups called for the immediate release of Kanu and his co-accused.

Nzuko Umunna accused the federal government of detaining Kanu and three others – Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi and Chidiebere Onwudiwe unjustly.

They said Kanu and his co-accused are prisoners of conscience.

They also opined that no country succeeds by suppressing agitations or democratic expressions.

Soludo said: “Nigeria has greatly come short on these counts.”

“Nigeria has never been more divided than now, with agitations for self-determination becoming more strident and desperate.”

The group also said that since 2005, Nigeria has fallen from 54th in global failed/fragile state index ranking to 17th in 2014 and further to 13 in 2016.

Below are the demands made by the group Igbo leaders:

1. All Progressives Congress (APC) must deliver its campaign promises to Nigeria

“In 2015, Nigerians voted for change based on the prospectus contained in the manifesto of the party that won the general elections.

So far, APC seems to have abandoned its cardinal contract with Nigeria. It is commendable that it is fighting corruption, fighting Boko Haram and the grappling economy.

However, it is our considered view that without dealing with several of the foundational issues of the Nigerian state in a post-oil economy, much of its efforts will in the end amount to tinkering at the margin.

2. A fairer and equitable system

The Igbo leaders demanded a fairer and equitable system in Nigeria were it will not matter where a president or any officer came from and also where there are growing opportunities for youths and future generations live in peace and prosper.

3. The urgent release of Nnamdi Kanu

The Igbo leaders said: “We demand the urgent release of Nnamdi Kanu and his colleagues and all prisoners of conscience, as part of the process of the search for national cohesion and building a new Nigeria.”

“There is a legitimate debate among Nigerians on the Biafra question and there are indeed many Igbos who like many other Nigerians do not agree with Nnamdi Kanu’s objective or means.

It needs to be stated that no citizen of Nigeria deserves the kind of treatment meted to him and his colleagues,” Nzuko Umunna said.

4. Right to freedom of association

The Nzuko Umunna demanded that the right to freedom of association, assembly, peace protest and expression be always made accessible to all Nigerians as guaranteed by the Constitution.

“Trying to criminalize anyone who talks about self-determination or attempts to use brute force to maim and kill innocent protesters in a democracy is a strategy for a time that we no longer live in.

This is 2017 and Nigeria is supposed to be a democracy!”

5. An end to the use of force and live bullets by security agencies on unarmed protesters

The group called for an end to the use of force and live bullets on unarmed Nigerian protesters.

Citing the various killing of Biafra agitators and protesters, the group said: “We equally call on all the governors of the states in which these have occurred to exercise their powers under the relevant commission of inquiry laws to investigate these killings through appropriate judicial commissions of inquiry.

Additionally, we call on the chief judges of the respective states to order coroners inquiries into these killings as required by the relevant coroner laws,” the group said.