‘Igbo Governors Have Failed Us’: Ministers’ Group Accuses South-East Leaders of Betraying Nnamdi Kanu and Igbo People

• A coalition of Igbo clerics under the Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission has accused most South-East governors of betrayal and insincerity, alleging that only Abia Governor Alex Otti has taken concrete steps to seek a political solution to Nnamdi Kanu’s detention.

The Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission (CIMC), led by its President, Rev. Tony Uzor, has issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it described as the “continued silence and inaction” of most Igbo governors over the prolonged detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In the statement, the group recalled that following the conviction judgment delivered by Justice J.K. Omotosho, South-East governors publicly promised to urgently engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in pursuit of a political and humane resolution to Kanu’s case. According to CIMC, that promise has largely gone unfulfilled.

“Till today, only one governor has kept that promise — Governor Alex Otti of Abia State,” the group said, adding that the failure of other governors could no longer be explained by delays or logistics.

The ministers’ group alleged that fear and political self-interest were behind the silence of several Igbo political leaders, claiming that many were wary of Kanu’s popularity and influence among ordinary Igbo people. According to CIMC, Kanu’s release, in their view, would expose years of what they described as political compromise and betrayal.

The statement further insisted that Kanu is innocent and genuinely committed to the welfare of the Igbo people, arguing that the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was established to protect communities amid security failures. CIMC also claimed that criminal elements later hijacked the agitation and insecurity in the South-East to discredit the movement.

Addressing the prolonged sit-at-home protests in the region, the group rejected claims that Kanu ordered them, insisting that the actions emerged spontaneously from public frustration. CIMC alleged that while in DSS custody, Kanu made repeated efforts to call off sit-at-home protests, including during a 2022 visit by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, but was allegedly prevented from addressing the public.

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The ministers cited court appearances and handwritten notes allegedly authored by Kanu warning that anyone enforcing sit-at-home was not acting on his instruction, questioning how a detainee could be held responsible for insecurity across the South-East.

CIMC accused the South-East Governors’ Forum of repeatedly failing to honour commitments to engage the presidency and warned that history would judge leaders who, in their words, “pretend to care” while remaining inactive.

The group called on President Tinubu to intervene directly, urged Igbo governors to take decisive action or be honest with the people, and appealed to Nigerians to reject what it described as false narratives surrounding Kanu’s case.

“You can jail a man, but you cannot jail the truth,” the statement concluded, describing the case as one that goes beyond an individual and touches on justice, dignity, and the future of the Igbo people.

SOURCE: Kalu Legal