*Dismisses United Southern Traditional Rulers Council
*Council remains strong and united, Ooni counters
*Igwe Okafor commends traditional rulers for working to restore peace in South-East
The incarceration of the founder of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu took the Center stage during the traditional rulers and religious leaders summit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when the chairman of the South-East Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Igwe Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu, Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, Enugu State, on Tuesday pointedly told President Bola Tinubu to immediately release the imprisoned IPOB leader.
Alternatively, he told the President, Nnamdi Kanu should be returned to Kenya, where he was renditioned from or to the United Kingdom, where he lives.
Igwe Agubuzu spoke, amidst applause, during the leaders 2026 Summit on Health, with President Tinubu as the Special Guest of Honour.
The traditional ruler stressed that the continued incarceration of Kanu has been fuelling agitations among the youth in the region, and a major relief is to free the secessionist leader, who was jailed for life by a court last year.
Listed as one of the traditional rulers to make remarks of commitment during the second segment of the event, Igwe Agubuzu told President Tinubu: “I must tell you, Mr. President, that personally, I don’t feel very happy because you were not here in the morning.
“There were several speeches, and we listened carefully. I listened to the opening address by His Imperial Majesty, (Ooni of Ife) and he was encouraging all of us to work as a family, to work as a team, and to see Nigeria as one.
“This is good, but when you look at it, this same Imperial Majesty is arranging to confer a very high honor on Mr. Sunday Igboho (a Yoruba separatist leader), who, in my own part of Nigeria and the South-East, we see as a counterpart of Nnamdi Kanu.
“Oh, my brother, fellow Royal Father, the Imperial Majesty does not seem to understand the pain in my heart when Nnamdi Kanu is in Sokoto. So sad—the buck stops in your court.
“Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London, where they took him from.
“You see, some of us here are being asked to go and work, but the young people in the South-East are so agitated they can even beat us up.
“They see us as sellouts. We came to Abuja—they may think we’ve come to collect money and then keep quiet. So sad!
“Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth. There’s no way Igboho will be enjoying his freedom and even being honoured and Kanu is languishing in prison.”
Eze Azubugu also hinted at disunity among Southern Nigeria traditional rulers, saying: “They were talking about the Southern Traditional Rulers Committee on Health, and the eminent Professor Pate was saying that this will become an annual event—what we are doing today, if I heard him correctly.
“The truth of the matter is that there is nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers Council. If you come here and give money to people on that basis, it is not correct. The South is not the North. We have our systems. We need unity in diversity.
“So, if you want to deal with us, deal with us in the South-East. If you have resources for us, give it to us. Don’t give it to people who come and say they represent a Traditional Rulers Council.
“Democracy is a representative government, and anybody who goes to present himself without his people is not democratic or traditional. So, get it right. We will do our best. Mr. President, you all—please listen to our cries. All of us.”
Addressing the press later, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitam Ogunwusi, countered Eze Aguzubu’s position on the Traditional Rulers Council in part, saying that the council remains formidable and its membership optional.
“The Southern Traditional Rulers Council is very optional. You don’t need to join us if you don’t want to, but it is a force—a formidable force—among traditional institutions for us to come together.
“We are all reputable in our domains. You can see all of us because all of us made speeches—there was nothing like that.
“We don’t agree to that, but our president is there. We don’t want any impression that there’s division. We don’t want to take out the South-East.
“We have Eze here. He is one of our very prominent traditional rulers in the South-East. We have a lot of South-East traditional rulers working together for the betterment of the country.
“So, for us, it is something key to let the whole world know that if you don’t want to be part of us, you can opt yourself out.”
Speaking in similar vein, Dr. Eberechukwu Kanu Oji Eberechuckwu (Eze Aro IX), the traditional ruler of Arochukwu Kingdom in Abia State, who identified himself as the Publicity Secretary of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council, said the Council is alive with the Ooni as its chairman.
“We have the co-chair here from the South-East. We have eminent traditional rulers from across the southern parts of Nigeria.
“So, please, for the purposes of clearing any doubts, the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council exists. The Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council is united, with traditional rulers and royal fathers from across the entire southern Nigeria—all represented here.”
Meanwhile, the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, had earlier delivered the keynote address, urging traditional and religious leaders to help drive the National Community Food Bank Programme, which she said would be rolled out nationwide in April. She flagged off the programme.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, described Tuesday’s summit as the first comprehensive engagement of traditional and religious leaders since the health sector reforms began over two years ago.
The compact signing ceremony, subtitled “Crowning the Compact,” was anchored on three objectives.
They include: building awareness of the President’s health reform vision among community leaders, strengthening their role in promoting transparency and accountability in healthcare delivery, and securing their strategic partnership for locally grounded implementation of the reforms.
Statements of commitment were delivered by traditional and religious leaders including the Shehu of Borno, the Olowo of Owo, the Emir of Bade, the CAN President, the Deputy President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto.
Meanwhile, Igwe Francis Okafor, Ezi 1 of Eziowa Kingdom, Aguobu-Owa, Ezeagu LGA, Enugu State, who was a participant during the Council meeting in Abuja, commended traditional rulers for their commitment to work to bring about development across the country.
He said that all the traditional rulers in the South-East completely and totally led their support for dialogue over the incarceration of Kanu, stressing that applying political solution to the issue will ensure inclusiveness to every part of the country and restore peace in the South-East.
He equally commended the peaceful atmosphere in Eziowa Kingdom, calling on the people to continue to support their leaders, in their quest to improve on the welfare and development of the people.
