Former Lagos State lawmaker Jude Idimogu has called on President Bola Tinubu to grant clemency to detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu, who leads the self-determination movement, was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya in 2021 and has remained in custody while facing trial in Nigeria.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos, Idimogu urged Igbo leaders, South-East governors, and other well-meaning Nigerians to unite in appealing to the president for Kanu’s pardon.
He emphasized that such an act of clemency would not only be remembered but could also improve the ruling All Progressives Congress’s electoral prospects in the South-East during the 2027 general elections.
“I want to plead with our President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to kindly see the need to use political means to grant Nnamdi Kanu clemency,” Idimogu said. “I want to appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians, not just those from Igbo extraction, to help plead with Mr President to use his good office to release Nnamdi Kanu.”
The former lawmaker, who serves as deputy leader of Ndigbo in the Lagos APC, argued that Kanu’s release would help reduce insecurity and tension in the South-East.
“If this is done, I believe the insecurity situation and tension in the South-East will reduce if not completely curbed and eradicated,” he stated. Idimogu noted that criminal elements have exploited Kanu’s name to commit violence in the region.
Highlighting the economic benefits of Kanu’s release, Idimogu said, “Mr President, kindly look at the South-East case and bring back businesses and trading long stagnated in the region because of insecurity.”
He pointed out that the South-East, once a thriving commercial hub, has suffered economically due to unrest. “An average Igbo man is a trader. We cannot overlook this situation and the contributions of these traders in the South-East to the economy,” he added.
Idimogu appealed to Tinubu’s compassion, saying, “Mr President, we know you to be a father with a compassionate heart, please, help us in the South-East, grant Kanu freedom to stabilise our region.” He also stressed the political advantage for the APC, stating, “It will add to our votes in the South-East. If the President can look at this issue, the South-East will never forget him but forever be grateful.”
