By Milcah Tanimu
Governors from the South East, under the South East Governors’ Forum, convened in Enugu on Tuesday with plans to meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to advocate for the release of the detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The governors also intend to discuss other significant issues pertinent to the region and the nation during their meeting with President Tinubu.
The forum’s decisions were outlined in a communiqué delivered to the media by the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, following their meeting at the Lion Building, Government House, Enugu.
Flanked by his colleagues – Alex Otti of Abia, Charles Soludo of Anambra, Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, and the host governor, Peter Mbah of Enugu State – Governor Uzodimma explained that their appeal to President Tinubu for Kanu’s release aims to foster peace in the region.
The forum emphasized that releasing Nnamdi Kanu would create opportunities for further dialogue to address the ongoing insecurity in the South East.
The communiqué further stated: “The Forum deliberated on the reviewed report of the South East Security and Economic Summit held in Owerri on the 28th of September, 2023, and agreed to implement the aspects of the report pertaining to security and economic integration. They affirmed their desire to put actionable plans on the key issues agreed upon.”
During the meeting, the governors also expressed their condolences to the government and people of Abia State, Ebonyi State, Imo State, the South East, Nigeria, and Chief Ogbonnaya Onu’s family on the passing of His Excellency, Ogbonnaya Onu, the former Minister of Science and Technology.
In preparation for his burial, the forum announced the formation of a nine-man burial committee chaired by former Senate President, Senator Pius Anyim.
The Forum also received a delegation that included former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe.