The Federal Government’s proposal to repatriate former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu from the United Kingdom has alarmed Igbo socio-political 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 motivation in an interview with Sunday Punch, characterizing it as possibly “political manipulation” or “vendetta disguised as compassion.”
Godsent voiced concern that Ekweremadu’s future in Nigeria has not been made clear by the administration.
“There is one thing that is really unclear: are they bringing him back to Nigeria to set him free, to put him on trial, or to let him continue his jail term,” he stated. These issues are not entirely clear.
He issued a warning that Ekweremadu might face political reprisals.
People don’t think he can be brought back, and it’s improper that he might be retried as part of a political grudge. Why this election season, why this time? He went on, “It’s because they want to play politics with him.”
The Muhammadu Buhari administration was further criticized by the INC President, who said that it had abandoned Ekweremadu during his suffering in the UK.
He claimed that British authorities were able to try “a sitting senator of the Federal Republic” because the Nigerian government did not step in sooner.
Godsent, on the other hand, praised President Bola Tinubu’s initiative but advised against utilizing Ekweremadu’s return as a means of political negotiation.
He expressed concerns that Ekweremadu would become “a victim of political retribution” and cautioned that questions about the independence of the Nigerian court still exist.
ADF: “Why Ignore Nnamdi Kanu and Demand Ekweremadu?”
Prof. Awuzie Unachukwu, President of the Ala-Igbo Development Foundation, also questioned the government’s genuineness.
“Why does this same government hesitate to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was only asking for self-determination for the Igbos, if it is appreciated that Senator Ekweremadu should return after paying his dues?” he said.
Unachukwu contended that Kanu’s continued detention needs to be addressed right now if the appeal for Ekweremadu’s return is not political.
He said that the action might be intended to rally influential Igbo leaders in front of the 2027 election cycle.
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 only to be punished more.
“He shouldn’t be returned to Nigeria to serve a jail term in this dungeon of a prison,” he declared. He endured enough pain for his offense. He shouldn’t be returning to Nigeria to serve a prison sentence.
