Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja as part of what he describes as an ongoing, carefully coordinated effort to secure the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The closed‑door meeting at Aso Rock came just days after Otti led a high‑powered delegation to visit Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, where the separatist leader is currently serving his sentence.
During the Sokoto visit, undertaken with Abia State Attorney‑General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN), Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, and senior Sokoto State officials, Otti urged Kanu to remain calm and resolute.
In a statement issued through his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governor assured Kanu that his administration had “activated” a previously agreed political and legal strategy to resolve the long‑running case.
“While Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is free to appeal his conviction, I’m happy to inform you that I have activated, and will continue to work on, the already agreed strategy until his freedom is secured,” Otti said, stressing that the matter remains a top priority for Abia State.
Otti has repeatedly signalled that he is in active engagement with the Presidency and believes Tinubu is open to a political solution.
At an earlier public event, he disclosed: “I can assure you that I am engaging with Mr President. He is favourably disposed to it, and I am sure that in no distant future, Nnamdi Kanu will regain his freedom,” describing Tinubu as a “man of integrity” who keeps his promises.
The latest Aso Rock meeting is widely seen as a fresh step in that direction, reinforcing his message to Kanu and to anxious supporters in the South‑East that quiet negotiations and legal moves are underway behind the scenes.
For the Tinubu administration, the talks with Otti come amid broader calls for a political resolution to the IPOB question and for de‑escalation of security tensions in the South‑East.
While the Presidency has not publicly disclosed details of the discussions, both Otti’s aides and allied officials frame the engagement as part of a multi‑channel process that blends court options, executive discretion, and regional political dialogue.
As expectations rise, supporters of Kanu and stakeholders across the zone will be watching closely to see whether the latest round of shuttle diplomacy between Umuahia, Sokoto and Aso Rock will finally translate into a timeline for the IPOB leader’s release.
