ABUJA, Nigeria — Abia State Governor Alex Otti met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, a closed-door engagement that follows his recent visit to Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Otti was seen entering the presidential villa around midday, shortly after Tinubu concluded a security meeting with service chiefs.
Although details of the discussion between the president and the governor were not disclosed, sources familiar with recent developments suggest the meeting may be part of ongoing political efforts aimed at securing Kanu’s release.
Kanu was convicted last week on terrorism charges and transferred from the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja to the Sokoto correctional centre.
His sentencing has sparked renewed agitation in parts of the South-East and prompted a wave of political appeals for a negotiated resolution.
Following his visit to Kanu in Sokoto, Otti announced that he had activated both political and diplomatic strategies to secure the IPOB leader’s freedom.
Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governor’s special adviser on media and publicity, said Otti encouraged Kanu to remain strong during their meeting.
Ekeoma added that the engagements Otti initiated “more than two years ago” were being intensified, suggesting that the governor’s move was a continuation of earlier behind-the-scenes efforts rather than a sudden intervention.
The governor’s visit to the presidential villa also comes as South-East lawmakers and regional leaders increase pressure on the federal government to adopt a political solution to the Kanu case.
A caucus of 42 members of the House of Representatives from the region had appealed to Tinubu earlier in the week to grant Kanu clemency in the interest of peace and regional stability.
While neither Otti nor the presidency offered details of Tuesday’s discussions, the governor’s back-to-back engagements indicate a widening push within political and diplomatic circles to de-escalate tensions in the South-East and explore non-judicial pathways to resolving Kanu’s detention.
