Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he did not discuss the issue of releasing Nnamdi Kanu during his meeting with the South East governors in Enugu state.
Recall that Obasanjo on Tuesday
alongside Chief Emeka Anyaoku and His Royal Majesty Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka
Achebe, met with the South East governors.
Following the meeting, the South-East
Governors Forum resolved to visit President Bola Tinubu and interface with the
Federal Government to secure the release of the detained IPOB leader.
The meeting, which lasted about
six hours, had in attendance all the five South-East governors: Peter Mbah
(Enugu); Alex Otti (Abia); Prof Charles Soludo (Anambra); Francis Nwifuru
(Ebonyi) and Senator Hope Uzodimma (Imo).
In a five-point communique,
jointly signed by all the governors, the forum resolved to activate actionable
plans with a view to implementing the report of the South-East Security and
Economic Summit held in Owerri in September last year.
“The Forum resolved to visit
Mr. President to discuss pressing issues concerning the South-East region.
“The Forum also resolved to
interface with the Federal Government to secure the release of Mr. Nnamdi
Kanu,” the communique read.
The forum also expressed grief
over the death of a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and
the first civilian governor of Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
However, Obasanjo in a
statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Wednesday,
said the meeting was to discuss regional development issues and the purported
planned release of Kanu by the Federal government was not part of it.
He added that part of the
issues discussed included security and infrastructure, economic and
cooperative/collaboration, which was meant to complement the national economic
development agenda.
Obasanjo said “The meeting with
them was at my invitation and of Chief Emeka Anyaoku before their summit
begins. The issue of Nnamdi Kanu was not on the agenda and was not discussed in
my presence.”
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