Senator Victor Umeh Urges President Tinubu to Release Nnamdi Kanu, End Southeast Marginalization

By Zubby Kanayonmuo

Senator Victor Umeh has issued a passionate plea to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his visit to Anambra State, demanding the unconditional release and pardon of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has remained in detention since 2021.

Speaking boldly in the presence of the President, Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, described Kanu’s continued incarceration by the Department of State Services (DSS) as “unjust, discriminatory, and a symbol of imbalance in the Nigerian justice system.”

“Why is Nnamdi Kanu still in detention?” Umeh asked pointedly. “He is not a criminal. He is a freedom fighter who speaks for his people. Agitators like Omoyele Sowore and Sunday Igboho were released. What has Kanu done that they didn’t do?” He asked.

The senator criticized the selective treatment of political agitators and urged President Tinubu to ensure that justice is equally applied to all citizens, regardless of their region or ethnicity. “Detaining him while others walk free is unfair and exposes a troubling double standard,” Umeh said.

Beyond Kanu’s case, Umeh turned the spotlight on broader concerns affecting the Southeast region. He lamented the dilapidated condition of federal roads, the absence of railway infrastructure, and what he described as “systematic exclusion” of Southeast youth from federal employment opportunities. He noted that he had moved two separate motions in the Senate to address these infrastructure deficits, but no significant action had been taken.

“Mr. President, you must not leave the East without responding to these critical issues,” Umeh asserted. “We are Nigerians like everyone else. We deserve inclusion, not as a favour, but as a right.”

Calling for urgent steps to integrate the Southeast into national development, Senator Umeh emphasized that unity cannot be achieved while an entire region feels abandoned. He urged President Tinubu to demonstrate through concrete actions that his administration represents all parts of the country.

“We demand fairness, inclusion, and justice. The Igbo people are not happy, and it’s time their voices are truly heard,” he concluded.

President Tinubu, was in Anambra on the 8th of May for a series of official engagements.

*Kanayonmuo is AT Reporter