Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Anambra State Government, through a senior aide to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has issued a blistering rejection of Peter Obi’s renewed call for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, labelling the former governor’s remarks a “major slap” on the Nigerian judiciary and an insult to the courts of Finland. The sharp rebuttal came barely 24 hours after Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, told a gathering of Nigerians in Washington, D.C., that there was “no reason whatsoever” to keep Kanu in prison.
Ejimofor Opara, the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Soludo, in a statement on Sunday, June 14, 2026, insisted that Obi’s comments were careless, baseless, self‑serving and intended to rubbish the very judicial system that had twice rescued his own political career. “For context, Peter Obi’s careless and self‑serving comments on the trial, conviction, and sentencing of Nnamdi Kanu are a major slap on not just the Nigerian judiciary, but more of an insult against the judiciary of Finland, where Simon Ekpa, Nnamdi Kanu’s protégé, was tried, found guilty, and is currently serving a six‑year jail term for terrorism‑related offences,” Opara wrote in the statement released to newsmen.
Opara reminded the public that the former Anambra State governor is a product of the Nigerian judiciary. He recalled that in 2006, the courts restored Obi’s gubernatorial mandate after a disputed election, and that the judiciary came to his rescue again in 2007 when Andy Uba attempted to manoeuvre him out of office. “If there is anyone who should have utmost respect for, and become an ambassador of, the Nigerian judiciary, that person should be Peter Gregory Obi,” the aide declared. He added that for a man preparing for a major election, pandering to terrorists was “not an advantage”, especially when the Nigerian judiciary had painstakingly committed itself to ensuring a just and open process in Kanu’s case, even permitting a live broadcast of the final proceedings.
The fresh controversy was ignited by a video circulated by the Obidient Movement, showing Obi speaking to Nigerians in Washington, D.C., a few days earlier. In the footage, the NDC presidential candidate said: “I said it repeatedly that there’s no reason for keeping Nnamdi Kanu. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason, no reason whatsoever. You cannot arrest somebody because he was speaking on the radio or calling people’s names. It doesn’t make sense.” Obi also vowed that if elected president, he would engage all agitators through dialogue rather than force.
Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB, is currently serving a life imprisonment sentence following his conviction on terrorism‑related charges by a Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025. The court found him guilty of multiple counts bordering on incitement, membership of a proscribed organisation, and involvement in attacks linked to separatist activities in the South‑East. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on some counts, with additional terms on others to run concurrently. Kanu has since rejected the judgment and filed an appeal, challenging both his conviction and sentence.
The Anambra State Government’s statement rejected Obi’s characterisation of Kanu’s offence as mere “name‑calling”, pointing to the Finnish court that had sentenced Simon Ekpa – described as Kanu’s protégé – to six years in prison for terrorism‑related offences. Opara insisted that Obi owed both the Nigerian judiciary and the courts in Finland an open apology. “Even if the judiciary pretends not to have seen Obi’s gaffe, history books will not forget that persons like Obi existed solely to destroy institutions and individuals who made them, just to advance a futile personal ambition. Peter owes both the Nigerian judiciary and the courts in Finland an open apology,” the statement concluded.
The sharp exchange lays bare the widening political rift between Obi, who is now running on the NDC platform for the 2027 presidential election, and Governor Soludo, a fellow former Anambra governor, on a matter that continues to define security and political discourse in the South‑East.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com ✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments