A South-East traditional ruler, the Eze Ogbozzarra 111 of Opi Ancient Kingdom in Nsukka, Eze Igwe Williams Ezugwu, has said that June 12, 2025, would have provided a great opportunity for President Bola Tinubu to have freed the embattled Biafran State agitator, Nnamdi Kanu, from detention, therefore, writing his name in the anal of history.

Ezugwu, who was the former Scribe of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), said, in a statement made available in Kaduna yesterday, that “as Nigeria marked the 2025 edition of its national Democracy Day on June 12, I reflect with a heavy heart on what many Nigerians, especially the people of the South-East, consider a missed opportunity for President Bola Tinubu to write his name in gold and shift the tides of national healing.”

He explained that “the continued incarceration of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a deep wound in the soul of the South-East, and by extension, Nigeria.”

He said: “While I commend the President for respecting judicial processes by not openly interfering in the ongoing terrorism trial, and allowing what now appears to be an accelerated hearing since the removal of the former trial judge who had lost the confidence of the defendant and many Nigerians, I must say that June 12 presented a historic window for Tinubu to act as a statesman and a unifying leader.

“It was on June 12, 1993, that Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity or religion, spoke with one voice in an election adjudged as the freest and fairest in our history. The symbolism of that day is rooted in freedom, justice, national cohesion, and democratic hope. These are the very principles that called for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, not as an act of weakness but as a step of uncommon strength toward reconciliation, justice, and genuine nation-building.”

“As a traditional ruler, who lives among the people and feels their daily pains and fears, I am privy to the real situation in the South-East. Our people do not feel like part of the Nigerian project.

“They feel unheard, excluded, and targeted. Releasing Nnamdi Kanu, even though the lawful discretion of the Attorney-General of the Federation as provided for in Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), or through a presidential pardon under Section 175, would have sent a clear message to the people of the South-East that you are not alone. You are not forgotten,” Ezugwu said.