The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for the South-East, Mrs. Chioma Wesley, has said that President Bola Tinubu will not interfere in the ongoing trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Wesley made this known on Monday while speaking to State House correspondents in Abuja after she and other presidential aides on regional engagement briefed the President at the Aso Rock Villa.
According to her, the President remains committed to upholding the rule of law and will not make any comment or decision that could influence judicial proceedings.
“Nnamdi Kanu’s case is in court, and the President cannot make any pronouncement on it.
“He abides by the rule of law. So, for now, we wait for the court to make that decision,” she said.
Her remarks come amid fresh appeals from groups and stakeholders in the South-East urging the Federal Government to secure Kanu’s release.
Kanu, who leads the proscribed IPOB, was first arrested in 2015 and granted bail in 2017 before fleeing the country after a military operation in his hometown, Afaraukwu, Abia State.
He was later rearrested and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021, and has since remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Federal High Court is expected to deliver judgment in his terrorism trial on November 20, 2025, after Kanu reportedly declined for the sixth time to open his defence.
Speaking further on her assignment, Wesley said her office had set up a citizens’ assembly to strengthen communication between the Presidency and communities in the South-East.
“We hit the ground running by creating a citizens’ assembly where we can hear directly from the people about their concerns and expectations,” she said.
“Our goal is to take the President’s policies to the grassroots and ensure people understand what the administration is doing for them.”
She added that the initiative focuses on community dialogue and feedback, stressing that “our greatest weapon is feedback; we are taking the Presidency down to the grassroots.”
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