Edwin Clark urges Buhari to obey court order and release Nnamdi Kanu

A former statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to obey last Friday's Court of Appeal order and release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Clark made the call while echoing the need to restructure the country, in a press release personally signed by him and made available to reporters on Monday.

“I felt it necessary to issue this statement following reports of the position of the Federation Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and subsequent endorsement by the National Security Council during its meeting last Friday that the judgment of the Court of Appeal only acquitted the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, but did not acquit him of the charges for which he was tried.

"I consider this position of the federal government to be rather compelling and unnecessary.

“I therefore urge President Muhammadu Buhari to obey the judgment of the Court of Appeal and order the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu in the interest of peace in the country, the South- East in particular," said the nonagenarian and South-South leader pleaded.

He added, "Most Nigerians have welcomed the Court of Appeal's ruling, mainly in the South East, where there have been reports of widespread jubilation in towns across the zone.< /p>

“It would therefore be detrimental for the federal government to keep Kanu in detention and provide a pretext for the evildoers to continue to take advantage of the situation by perpetrating all kinds of atrocities in the area.”

While acknowledging that some of the activities of Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB supporters constituted a nuisance, the federal government took its chances too far, however, going "as far as Kenya to kidnap him on the grounds that he refused bail."

Chief Clark urged Buhari to emulate former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who promised Niger Delta elders to pursue Asari-Dokubo's release in court and did not back down when the courts fired and left.

The organizer of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) particularly decried the position of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami, of the sections in the exercise of his duties towards the nation.

"The Attorney General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, SAN must understand that he is the Legal Director of the Federation as provided for in Section 150(1) of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 ( as amended).

"He is supposed to play a neutral role at all times and in all matters. He is not the legal director of a section of the country, of a group or even of the president.

"But, I have sadly observed that the Attorney General has no doubt abandoned some of his work and is now embroiled in 'executive roguery', much to the chagrin and dismay of patriotic Nigerians at home and abroad. abroad.

"The question of whether Nnamdi Kanu was only acquitted and not acquitted by the Court of Appeal was decided by the Supreme Court insofar as sometimes an acquittal is the end of a case whereas at other times other times she may not be so considered,” he said.

The Ijaw Chief further asserted that the obvious marginalization of the Igbos and the South East in the governance scheme, especially under the Buhari regime, was partly responsible for why the IPOB took over. importance.

He therefore called on Buhari to apply the carrot and stick approach in handling the IPOB debacle and find ways to appease other aggrieved groups across the country.

“It is important to further emphasize that each area of ​​the country has six states, with the exception of the Southeast, which has five states and the North West, seven. basis was this allocation made and why the marginalization of the Southeast?

"The disparity has resulted in a deficit of the Southeast zone, over the years, in the distribution of income, ministerial appointments, representation in the National Assembly, etc.

"The zone receives a share less than the other zones in almost all aspects while the Northwest receives a share more than the others.

"This particular situation raises serious questions about issues of fairness, equity and justice in Nigeria.

“And this is where the IPOB has carved a place for itself in the hearts and minds of young people in the Southeast with its call for self-determination.

“I physically saw these IPOB boys in action, at Ekwueme Square in Akwa, Anambra State, when I attended a meeting of the Southern Belt Leaders Forum and middle.

“It is indeed a movement of young people who are rightly angry at the way the affairs of the country are conducted and in particular the marginalization of the Igbo people, but who are wrong.

"None of these young people witnessed the civil war and are...