South-east politicians lack influence to intervene in Nnamdi Kanu’s case, says ex-Anambra CoS

Chuks Iloegbunam, a former Anambra chief of staff (CoS), says no south-east politician has any leverage in the current administration to influence a political solution for the Nnamdi Kanu case.

Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), currently in detention, is standing trial on a seven-count charge bordering on treasonable felony as preferred against him by the federal government.

In an interview with Rudolf Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica, Iloegbunam said south-east politicians are “barely tolerated within the government”.

“In this dispensation that we are in, any Igbo person telling you that he’s influential in Abuja, tell him to find the address of a good psychiatrist,” he said.

“If you don’t have something and go about claiming that you, have it, you are living a life of pretense and deceiving yourself.”

The veteran journalist also accused the south-east governors of not being vocal about Igbo interests in Nigeria “because of fear of losing reelection”.

“A lot of these governors you are seeing are looking at the next gubernatorial election. If they upset the apple cart, will they be reelected? Don’t you know how elections go in this country?” he said.

“After standing under the sun and rain to cast your vote, one man will just sit down somewhere and write and announce results, and they will tell you to go to court.

“If you believe that scenario is a possibility, you will be doing everything to save yourself from being hit over the head when election time comes.”