The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the conviction of the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for terrorism.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Saturday, Mr Obi said the conviction of the IPOB leader could worsen insecurity in the South-east.
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“The news of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction should compel every well-meaning Nigerian to pause and reflect.
“This is coming at a time when our beloved nation is facing severe economic hardship, insecurity, and the consequences of poor governance,” Mr Obi wrote.
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“Rather than reducing tension, this unfortunate development may well only aggravate it.”
The LP candidate, a former governor of Anambra State, argued that Mr Kanu ought not to have been arrested, stressing that his arrest, detention and subsequent conviction “represent a failure of leadership and a misunderstanding of the issues at stake.”
He said he has maintained that dialogue, constructive engagement, and inclusive governance offer the path to lasting peace, adding that coercion would have been necessary only when reason had been exhausted.
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“In this case, I submit that the reason was not only not exhausted, but was probably not explored at all, or not fully explored,” he argued.
The former governor continued: “The concerns Kanu raised were not unheard of. The issues for which he demanded solutions were not insoluble.
“It only required wisdom, empathy, and a willingness to listen. In any functional society, such grievances are met with dialogue and reforms aimed at strengthening unity.”
What Nigerian govt should have done
Mr Obi argued that rather than prosecute Mr Kanu, the Nigerian government, should have resorted to political solutions, negotiated settlements, and even amnesty to settle the matter.
The former governor stressed that such approaches are often explored when legal processes alone cannot serve the broader interest of peace and stability.
“The government’s approach has only deepened mistrust and created an avoidable distraction at a time when citizens are overwhelmed by harsh economic realities and insecurity,” he said of the government’s approach to Mr Kanu’s matter and conviction.
He emphasised that the handling of Mr Kanu’s case “mirrors the government as a man trapped in a hole but who, instead of looking for a way out, keeps digging deeper.”
“It worsens not only the government’s predicament but also the nation’s collective condition,” he said.
‘Use dialogue, rise up to lasting solution’
Mr Obi urged Nigerian leaders to choose dialogue and reconciliation rather than hostility or retaliation by addressing grievances with justice and fairness.
“My ultimate call at this time, without prejudice to how anyone feels about the decision of the court, is for us to be optimistic for peace and reconciliation which will come in the end.
“I am also saying, thereby, that the Presidency, the Council of State and credible statesmen who love this country and who are interested in cohesion and inclusivity, should rise to the occasion, for a lasting solution,” he said.
Life imprisonment
On Thursday, Mr Kanu was convicted at Federal High Court in Abuja after being found guilty on all the seven counts filed against him by the Nigerian government.
The trial Judge, James Omotosho, consequently sentenced him to life imprisonment for terrorism and ordered that he be prevented from having access to mobile devices and broadcast equipment except under the watch of security operatives.
His former special counsel Aloy Ejimakor has indicated that the IPOB leader would appeal the judgement.
Mr Ejimakor, on Friday, announced that the convict had been moved from the SSS facility to a prison facility in Sokoto State.
Favour Dozie, the SSS spokesperson, did not respond to enquiries from PREMIUM TIMES seeking her comments for the story.
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