By Mercy Gadia Adi
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR, has expressed strong optimism that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, will eventually regain his freedom through a political intervention despite Thursday’s court judgment sentencing him to life imprisonment.
Addressing journalists shortly after the verdict of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Kalu said the judgment has now paved the way for renewed political engagements that had previously been stalled due to the ongoing trial.
He assured Nigerians, particularly in the South East, that the door to a political settlement remains wide open, insisting that “all hope is not lost.”
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is expected to give due consideration to the pleas of respected Igbo leaders who have continuously called for Kanu’s release as part of broader efforts to restore peace in the region.
“It is now time to explore political solutions that had been hindered because the matter was before the court, but now that the court has finished, it is time to intensify request for the President’s intervention and we are sure that the President is not averse to it. We are going to get it. All hope is not lost. Our people should remain calm,” Kalu said.
The Deputy Speaker appealed for restraint and calm across the country, assuring that ongoing consultations would be pursued with renewed vigor to achieve a peaceful resolution.
The statement was issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu.