The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for the South-East, Mrs. Chioma Wesley, has said 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 the remark on Monday while addressing State House correspondents in Abuja after she and three other presidential aides on regional engagement briefed the President at the Aso Rock Villa.
She explained that the matter remains before the court, and as a leader who respects the rule of law, the President would not make any public statement or take action 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 statement comes amid renewed appeals, particularly from groups in the South-East, urging the Federal Government to facilitate Kanu’s release.
Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB, was first arrested in 2015 and granted bail in 2017 before leaving the country following a military operation in his hometown, Afaraukwu, Abia State. He was rearrested and repatriated to Nigeria in June 2021 and has since remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Federal High Court has scheduled November 20, 2025, to deliver judgment in his ongoing terrorism trial after Kanu reportedly refused for the sixth time to open his defence.
Speaking on her role, Wesley said her office has established a citizens’ assembly aimed at strengthening communication between the Presidency and communities across the South-East.
“We hit the ground running by setting up a citizens’ assembly where we can hear directly from the people about their concerns and expectations,” she explained. “Our goal is to take the President’s policies to the grassroots and ensure the people understand what the administration is doing for them.”
She added that the initiative focuses on direct community engagement and feedback collection, noting that “our greatest weapon is feedback, we are taking the Presidency down to the grassroots.”
