Godsent Reacts: Is Ekweremadu Being Returned to Serve His Prison Sentence?
Igbo socio-political leaders have raised concerns over the Federal Government’s request to repatriate former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, from the United Kingdom, warning that political motives may drive the move.
Speaking with Sunday Punch, the President of the Igbo National Council, Chilos Godsent, questioned both the timing and the intention behind the request, describing it as potentially “political manipulation” or “vendetta disguised as compassion.”
Godsent expressed worry that the government has not clarified what awaits Ekweremadu if returned to Nigeria.
He said, “There is one thing that is really not clear: are they bringing him back to Nigeria to set him free or bringing him back to put him on trial, or to let him continue his jail term? These things are not really clear.”
He warned that Ekweremadu could be subjected to political retribution.
“People are sceptical that he can be brought back and then, as part of a political vendetta, he might be retried, which is not proper. Why this time, why this election period? It is because they want to use him to play politics,” he added.
The INC President further criticised the Muhammadu Buhari administration, accusing it of abandoning Ekweremadu during his ordeal in the UK.
He said the failure of the Nigerian government to intervene early allowed British authorities to try “a sitting senator of the Federal Republic.”
Godsent, however, commended President Bola Tinubu’s initiative but cautioned against using Ekweremadu’s return as a political bargaining tool.
He warned that doubts remain about the independence of the Nigerian judiciary, raising fears that Ekweremadu could become “a victim of political retribution.”
ADF: ‘Why Ask for Ekweremadu And Ignore Nnamdi Kanu?’
Similarly, the President of the Ala-Igbo Development Foundation, Prof. Awuzie Unachukwu, questioned the sincerity of the government’s move.
He said, “If it is appreciated that Senator Ekweremadu should come back having paid his dues, why does this same government shy away from releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was only asking for self-determination for the Igbos?”
Unachukwu argued that if the request for Ekweremadu’s repatriation is not political, then the continued detention of Kanu must be addressed immediately.
He added that the move may be aimed at mobilising powerful Igbo figures ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
While commending President Tinubu for initiating steps toward Ekweremadu’s return, Unachukwu insisted that the embattled senator must not be brought home only to face further punishment.
He said, “He shouldn’t be brought back to Nigeria to serve a jail term in this dungeon of a prison. He suffered for his crime enough. If he is coming back to Nigeria, it shouldn’t be for a jail term.”