Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has congratulated the President-elect Bola Tinubu and the newly-elected governors across the states of the federation.
He used the opportunity to plead with the President-elect to let go of detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately after his inauguration.
The Anambra State governor also identified the Nigerian youths as the ‘heroes’ of the 2023 national elections, while assuring them that their voices would continue to be critical in the build-up to a new Nigeria.
While commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor noted that the country must continue to reform and strengthen its electoral processes and citizens’ political participation in her march towards a more perfect system.
Governor Soludo said these, on Tuesday, in a statement he personally signed.
He added that beyond the elections, the insecurity ravaging the South East should be of concern to all, which was why he called on Tinubu to immediately release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, immediately after his swearing-in.
The statement read, “The 2023 general election in Nigeria has come and gone. To me, the true heroes of the last elections are the citizens of Nigeria, especially the youths, whose voices will continue to be critical as we collectively strive to build a new Nigeria. Nigeria is the winner, and I am confident that a better future lies ahead of us.
“Let me also congratulate the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his election. We congratulate your closest opponents for their courageous and impressive outing.
“Nigeria needs healing and restructuring, and the fundamental challenges of insecurity and the economy remain humongous.
“We pledge to collaborate and partner with you and the Federal Government for the development of Anambra State and Nigeria. This is the only country that we call ours and we must make it work.”
He called on all those who feel aggrieved about the elections to take relevant steps in recovering their mandate by following the due process of approaching the court.
“In this regard, may I repeat my previous calls and hereby request our president-elect to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately after swearing-in (that is, if he is not released before then). We need him around the table as an important stakeholder in discussions about healing and sustainable peace in the South East.
“While our efforts with the security agencies are yielding significant results, we believe that sustainable peace and security will be enhanced through wider non-kinetic engagements with all critical stakeholders,” the statement added.