Former Abia State Governor and senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has dismissed claims linking him to the financing of Autopilot or any other militant group operating in the South-East, describing the allegations as false and irresponsible.

Kalu addressed the controversy during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, speaking on separatist agitation, insecurity, his relationship with President Bola Tinubu, and public criticism over his daughter’s ambassadorial nomination.

Reacting to the accusation by IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, Kalu said he had no connection whatsoever to Autopilot.

He said, “I don’t know anything. I’ve never heard this name. I cannot sponsor anything. I was governor. I established the Bakassi, and the Bakassi was in charge. I think these kids should take Nigeria serious and take Igbo people serious.”

He explained that the Bakassi outfit he created as governor was strictly for security.

The lawmaker further stated, “The Bakassi was not for boyfriend or for girlfriend. It was purely to police and keep our place safe. I have no regrets in doing it. If you give me the opportunity again, I will keep the place safe again.”

Kalu criticized violent agitation in the South-East, accusing separatists of undermining the very region they claim to protect.

He said, “These guys should stop this old-fashioned way of doing things. They should think of how to move forward, how to use political solutions to sort out the Igbos.

“Nobody takes the Igbo serious when it comes to these things.”

He challenged IPOB’s spokesperson directly, “If Emma Powerful is alive, he should come on with you in a programme and tell me where I established Autopilot. What is called Autopilot? I don’t understand. I’ve never heard that name before.”

Kalu said the violent campaigns were pushing the region to economic collapse.

He said, “Even if these boys want Biafra, who are you going to rule when you kill all the Igbos? When you stop all Igbos from doing business? When on Mondays, if you see people going out for business, you start pursuing them and killing them? It is not rational.

“Even if they want Biafra, they should drop their arms and go with their flags and demand for what they want… Talk for a referendum, if that is what they want.”

The senator also rejected suggestions that he, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and Works Minister Dave Umahi were competing to be President Tinubu’s closest ally in the region.

He said, “No, no, no, no. “I spoke to Umahi the day before yesterday, and I spoke to Ben Kalu yesterday. There’s no hustling for what? I am a senator… Ben Kalu is like my younger brother. I put him in business. I put him in politics.”

He added that Umahi recently sent Christmas gifts to him, insisting there was no rivalry. “So I don’t know why you want to cause trouble,” he said.

Kalu rejected calls for President Tinubu to step down over rising insecurity, arguing that the crisis is driven by broader regional instability and weapon proliferation.

He said, “This insecurity has nothing to do with any particular person.

“All the arms coming from [Libya, Mali and parts of Iraq] are turning back to Nigeria. This war is not only a war of weapons. It is a war of intelligence.”

He urged security agencies to deepen cooperation.

Kalu said, “The army, air force, navy and all related agencies must work more on intelligence and cooperation. These people are not insurgents. They want to scare everybody away from where there are minerals so they can take them.”

Defending President Tinubu, he added, “President Tinubu has done what he thinks he should do. I don’t know any new thing critics will do.”

The Northern Christian Religious Leaders Assembly (NOCREAL) says this year’s Christmas celebration will be held with joy, even though Nigerians are facing economic hardship and security challenges across the country.

Speaking to DAILY POST in Kano, the group’s state branch leader, Reverend Murtala Mati Dangora, said the recent classification of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” would not stop Christians from marking the season.

He explained that Kano remains largely peaceful for Christians, even though some other states continue to face terrorism.

West African leaders have placed a suspension on Guinea-Bissau following the military takeover of November 26, saying the action has pushed the country into deeper political uncertainty.

The regional bloc stressed that the democratic order must return immediately and demanded the release of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was seized during the crisis.

This decision came after an emergency virtual meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council held on Thursday night.

The session, chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, brought together heads of state, foreign ministers, and top representatives from several member countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Cabo Verde, and Côte d’Ivoire. Senior officials from Benin, The Gambia, and Togo were also part of the deliberations.

Officials from the ECOWAS Commission, the African Union, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and Guinea-Bissau’s foreign minister joined the meeting as observers.

The atmosphere was tense, as the council reviewed a detailed report submitted by ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray on the escalating situation.

In the briefing, leaders raised alarm over the disruption of the electoral process in the country.

They commended ordinary citizens for their “resilience and commitment to democracy” despite the tension surrounding the November 23 polls. The council noted that the takeover has undermined confidence in the democratic transition.

ECOWAS, in its formal resolution, said it “condemns in the strongest terms the coup d’état perpetrated on 26 November 2025 and calls for the unconditional restoration of constitutional order without delay.”

The bloc added that it “rejects any arrangements that perpetuate the illegal abortion of the democratic process and the subversion of the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau.”

The regional body insisted that the electoral commission must be allowed to continue its work and release results from the suspended vote. It demanded that the “will of the people” be respected and urged coup leaders to stop interfering with the electoral process.

The communiqué further called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all detained officials, in particular President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, as well as the electoral officials and all other political figures.”

ECOWAS warned that the masterminds of the coup would be held “both individually and collectively responsible for the protection of life and property of all citizens and residents of Guinea-Bissau and for the security and safety of all detainees.”

The council instructed the military to guarantee safe access for ECOWAS observers and international partners still monitoring the election.

It stated that “the MSC decides, in accordance with the provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance 2001 (A/SP/12/01), to suspend Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country.”

To address the crisis, a high-level delegation led by the ECOWAS chair and supported by the presidents of Togo, Cabo Verde, and Senegal will travel to Bissau for direct engagement with the coup leaders. Their mandate is to push for the swift reinstatement of democratic governance.

The bloc urged the military high command to step back from politics, return to the barracks, and uphold their constitutional responsibilities. ECOWAS also directed its Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to continue safeguarding state institutions in the meantime.

In a sign of escalating pressure, the organization warned that it “reserves the right to use all options” allowed under its protocols, including sanctions, if the junta continues to defy the regional position.

The African Union and the European Union also issued strong reactions, condemning the coup and demanding the release of President Embaló.

Senegal confirmed on Thursday that the detained president had been flown into the country “safe and sound.”

Political tensions had been rising even before the coup, as the electoral race between President Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa grew fiercely competitive.

Dias da Costa later told reporters that he believed he won the vote and accused Embaló of manipulating the process—an allegation the president firmly denied.

Following the takeover, the military named General Horta N’Tam, the army chief of staff, as the head of a one-year transition. After taking his oath, he told the nation, “I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command.”

Guinea-Bissau has a long history of political instability, and this latest development has once again placed the fragile nation at the centre of regional diplomatic attention.