Former Vice President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, said Southeastern leaders were working on a political solution for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
Mr. Kanu is being held in Abuja, where he is being tried for treason.
During an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari said he would not interfere in the Kanu case.
Buhari said the IPOB leader should defend himself in court.
But Ekweremadu, in an interview with Dream FM, EnuguOn Saturday, he said that Mr. Buhari did not rule out the possibility of a political solution for Mr. Kanu.
“The political solution in the Nnamdi Kanu matter is still very feasible. I also saw the Channels Television interview and I don’t think the President rules out a political solution.
“However, we will continue to work on a political solution. We will continue to involve the government, as we will continue to appeal to our youth and people to guarantee the stability and prosperity of our region, ”he said.
However, the senator defended President Buhari’s insistence that he would not interfere in Kanu’s trial.
“In fact, I would have been surprised if he had said that he would simply release Nnamdi Kanu. There is independence from all branches of government, including the judiciary. There are procedures.
“I remember that was exactly the response of the President when I led a delegation from the Senate Southeast Committee to see him on the issue of Nnamdi Kanu in November 2016.
“But ultimately, we continued to reach out and dialogue until we had a political solution, which resulted in the judiciary granting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu bail because ultimately everything will come to the judiciary, because each arm of the government is independent, ”said Ekweremadu.
A group of Igbo leaders, in November last year, visited President Buhari in Abuja to seek the release of Mr. Kanu from detention.
The president told them that an ‘unconditional release’ of Mr. Kanu “goes against the doctrine of the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary,” although he had promised to consider the request.
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Mr. Ekweremadu said that “in line with the political solution, which the Southeast Caucus of the National Assembly is quietly seeking, I led a delegation of some Igbo leaders” to discuss how the leader of IPOB could be released.
Mr. Ekweremadu said that the delegation was still awaiting comments from the Nigerian government.
He said leaders have also met and had “useful conversations” with the IPOB leader.
“I led a delegation to interact with Kanu and the authorities. We had useful conversations. We have also made some requests and we are waiting for comments from the government to move forward, ”said Ekweremadu.
Mr. Kanu’s IPOB is accused by the federal government of carrying out attacks on public and private facilities in the southeast and killing dozens of people, including security agents.