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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has congratulated the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on his victory at the presidential election.
In a statement he personally signed on Tuesday, Soludo appealed to Tinubu to release the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, immediately after his swearing in on May 29.
He said beyond the elections, the insecurity ravaging the South East should be of concern to all, which he noted was why he called on the president-elect to make the release of Kanu a priority.
He also stressed the need to reform and strengthen the country’s electoral process and citizens’ political participation.
“Let me also congratulate the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his election. We congratulate your closest opponents for their courageous and impressive outing.
“Nigeria needs healing and restructuring, and the fundamental challenges of insecurity and the economy remain humongous. We pledge to collaborate and partner with you and the Federal Government for the development of Anambra state and Nigeria. This is the only country that we call ours and we must make it work.
“One critical issue that we must draw your urgent attention is the issue of systemic insecurity in the South East. While our efforts with the security agencies are yielding significant results, we believe that sustainable peace and security will be enhanced through wider non-kinetic engagements with all critical stakeholders.
“In this regard, may I repeat my previous calls and hereby request our President-Elect to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately after swearing-in (that is, if he is not released before then). We need him around the table as an important stakeholder in discussions about healing and sustainable peace in the South East,” Soludo said.