The younger brother of former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose, Isaac Fayose, has urged President Bola Tinubu to free Nnamdi Kanu, the head of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
According to Fayose, Kanu's release will boost Tinubu's vote total in the 2027 election while also reducing insecurity in the Southeast by 50%.
Speaking further, Fayose compared his strategy to that of previous President Goodluck Jonathan, who hired Tompolo, a commander of the Niger Delta rebel group, to bring about peace in the area.
Daily Post reported that Fayose said that Kanu's release would result in a significant decrease in security costs in the Southeast and questioned why a similar strategy could not be used there.
In his words, "Releasing Nnamdi Kanu will release crime in the south-east by 50%. And APC will get more votes in 2027."
"If President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan can give a contract to Tompolo to have peace in the Niger Delta, why can't we do the same in the South-East?"
"If we are spending so much on insecurity in the South-East, the money will be reduced by 50%, releasing Kanu."
"If I were President Tinubu, after the election, when I noticed that the South-East people didn't vote for me, I would have released Kanu to counter them. Releasing Kanu can make some of them say, Oh, this man has a good intention."
Fayose's request followed pleas for Tinubu to free Kanu from Nigerians, including Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party in 2023.
Peter Obi stated a few days ago that he could not see any justification for keeping Nnamdi Kanu in custody after the court had granted him release.