Social critic and activist Mahdi Shehu has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent efforts to secure the release of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu from a UK prison are politically motivated and aimed at bolstering support ahead of the 2027 general elections. Ekweremadu has been serving a sentence since his 2023 conviction for organ trafficking.
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Shehu noted that Tinubu’s move, including setting up a high-powered committee to engage the UK government, appears less about humanitarian concern and more about strategic politics. He pointed out that Nigeria currently lacks a substantive ambassador to the UK, who could have managed the situation through standard diplomatic channels. This, according to Shehu, suggests that the President’s intervention is timed deliberately to influence political outcomes.
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Shehu also argued that Ekweremadu’s case holds particular significance for Tinubu’s political strategy because he is one of the most visible Igbo political figures who has not aligned with the ruling party. He suggested that by intervening in Ekweremadu’s case, Tinubu aims to gain favor with the Igbo electorate, a key demographic in upcoming elections.
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Furthermore, Shehu highlighted that other Nigerians serving sentences abroad have not received comparable attention from the government, implying that the effort is selective and politically calculated. The activist expressed skepticism about the timing and intentions behind the intervention, framing it as a move tied to electioneering rather than justice or diplomacy.
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