The Federal Government’s desire to repatriate former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu from the United Kingdom has alarmed Igbo sociopolitical leaders, who have warned that the move may be motivated by political considerations.
Igbo National Council President Chilos Godsent questioned the request’s timing and motive in an interview with Sunday Punch, characterizing it as possibly “political manipulation” or “vendetta disguised as compassion.”
Godsent voiced concern over the government’s lack of clarity on Ekweremadu’s future in Nigeria.
“There is one thing that is really unclear: are they bringing him back to Nigeria to set him free or to put him on trial, or to let him continue his jail term,” he stated. These items lack clarity.
Ekweremadu might face political reprisals, he said.
“People are skeptical that he can be brought back and then retried, which is improper, as part of a political grudge. Why is it this time, this election season? He went on, “It’s because they want to use him for political purposes.”
The president of the INC went on to criticize the Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying that it had abandoned Ekweremadu during his experience in the UK.
He claimed that British authorities were able to try “a sitting senator of the Federal Republic” because the Nigerian government failed to act sooner.
Godsent, on the other hand, praised President Bola Tinubu’s initiative but advised against utilizing Ekweremadu’s return as a means of political negotiations.
He expressed concern that Ekweremadu would become “a victim of political retribution” and cautioned that questions about the Nigerian judiciary’s independence still exist.
“Why Request Ekweremadu While Ignoring Nnamdi Kanu?” asked the ADF.
The authenticity of the government’s action was also questioned by Prof. Awuzie Unachukwu, President of the Ala-Igbo Development Foundation.
“Why does this same government hesitate to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was merely requesting self-determination for the Igbos, if it is appreciated that Senator Ekweremadu should return having paid his dues?” he said.
Unachukwu contended that Kanu’s ongoing detention needs to be addressed right away if the desire for Ekweremadu’s repatriation is not political.
In advance of the 2027 election cycle, he said, the action might be intended to mobilize influential Igbo figures.
Unachukwu praised President Tinubu for taking the first steps toward Ekweremadu’s homecoming, but he insisted that the troubled senator shouldn’t be sent home just to be punished further.
“He shouldn’t be brought back to Nigeria to serve a jail sentence in this dungeon of a prison,” he declared. His crime caused him enough suffering. It shouldn’t be for a jail sentence if he is returning to Nigeria.
