- Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has reaffirmed his opposition to the Southeast’s secession from Nigeria, saying the Igbos need Nigeria as much as Nigeria needs the Igbos.
- Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Soludo condemned the violence linked to agitation and said the Monday sit-at-home order had largely ended in Anambra.
- He acknowledged that Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB had distanced themselves from the directive, blaming “criminal elements.”
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has declared that he does not support the Southeast leaving Nigeria, stressing that the progress of the region is tied to its unity with the nation.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Soludo said:
“We’ve made it very clear that if you are protesting or agitating for anything, you are holding yourself down by killing your own people under the pretext of Monday’s sit-at-home.”
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He noted that the sit-at-home order has largely fizzled out in Anambra, adding,
“Anybody sitting at home now is doing so out of his own preference, not because of insecurity, as it were, because everywhere is secure on Mondays.”
The governor acknowledged that Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB had distanced itself from the order, saying,
“Even Nnamdi Kanu himself and his IPOB are on record to have said they did not support the Monday sit-at-home; it was some criminal elements doing that. And we thank them for their work.”
While affirming his respect for peaceful protest, Soludo said his focus remains on governance:
“As for those who are agitating or going to have demonstrations, they have a right to do so. In a democracy, everybody has freedom of expression. But mine is to govern. While social activists do their job, I will do my own.”
He added that he had urged South-East leaders to engage Kanu in dialogue when he’s released:
“I said, why don’t they tell Nnamdi Kanu to come and sit with everybody else, because nobody has a greater right than the other? We are all Igbos, and we are all entitled to our views.”
Reaffirming his belief in Nigeria’s unity, Soludo concluded:
“I am of the view that the Igbo man needs Nigeria and Nigeria needs the Igbo man. The Igbo man needs Africa, and Africa needs the Igbo man. We are an itinerant people who cannot afford to be intolerant. That’s my view.”
