Mr.Valentine Ozigbo, the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Anambra November 6, 2021 election, has urged the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafria, IPOB, who has been in detention for a while now after being repatriated to Nigeria.
Ozigbo, according to a report by 247thirdeye, also called for a different approach in addressing the agitations for self-determination in the country.
The report said he made the call when he spoke at the 2021 Anambra Gubernatorial Debate hosted on Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS TV, Awka, recently.
He turned out to be the only candidate of a major political party who showed up for the debate which was reported to last for an hour. He was joined by other four candidates, making them five out of the eighteen candidates listed for the election.
Following the report, noticeably absent at the debate were Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It is also recalled in the report that none of the aforementioned candidates has attended any manifesto presentation or debate since the campaigns begun in August.
When asked about his position on the incarcerated IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Ozigbo said that Nnamdi Kanu should be released by the APC government and non-violent and diplomatic means of addressing the calls for secession should be adopted.
“Indeed, Nnamdi Kanu should actually be released while we go back to the root cause for the agitation,” Ozigbo said.
“I always focus on the root causes of problem-solving. We can’t be addressing a problem from the symptoms. An efficient way to address any crisis is to deal with the root.
“Why the agitations? If you think deeply, you’ll understand that it is because Nigeria is not working. Our leaders have failed us. The sense of hopelessness brought about by poor governance pervades the land.
“There’s a lot we need to do to get Nigeria working again. The poor road networks, decayed infrastructure, failed social systems, a devastating healthcare sector, a shrinking economy, lack of opportunities, and many more manifestations of poor governance leads to the question of ‘Is there any need to be part of Nigeria, anyway?”
As a way out of the current crisis, the guber candidate called for a fresh approach to leadership. He said that Nigeria must focus on raising the competitiveness of the country, among other solutions. “We must do away with nepotism and entrench competency.
“We must restructure Nigeria to be more just, more competitive, and more inclusive,” Ozigbo demanded.
The former top management leader in the hospitality sector also presented his Ka Anambra Chawapu Manifesto at the live event, which was anchored by Roy Ekwunife, a TV presenter and Nollywood actor.
He was reported to have as well unveiled his revolutionary ideas for transforming Anambra state in education, healthcare, economy, social services, and other key human development indices.
The other candidates who attended the event are Col. Geoffrey Onyejegbu (Rtd), the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Dr Chidozie Nwankwo of the African Action Congress (AAC), and Chief Akachukwu Nwamkpo of African Democratic Congress (ADC).
