2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi has said that the recent conviction of leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the Federal high Court Abuja, has further deepened Nigeria’s divisions and ultimately threatens Nigeria’s unity.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State in a statement he shared on Saturday said that the conviction and subsequent sentencing of Kanu to life imprisonment, “ Rather than reducing tension, this …may well only aggravate it.”
The former governor stated that the government mishandled the agitation of Kanu by arresting him instead of addressing the issues he raised. According to Obi, “I have always maintained that Mazi Kanu should never have been arrested. His arrest, detention, and now conviction represent a failure of leadership and a misunderstanding of the issues at stake.
While calling for “constructive engagement,” Obi also called on genuine leaders in the country and the National Council of State to step in, reiterating that those “who are interested in cohesion and inclusivity, should rise to the occasion, for a lasting solution.”
The full statement reads:
Conviction: At a Time Like This.
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.
Rather than reducing tension, this unfortunate development may well only aggravate it.
I have always maintained that Mazi Kanu should never have been arrested. His arrest, detention, and now conviction represent a failure of leadership and a misunderstanding of the issues at stake.
For years, I have consistently argued that dialogue, constructive engagement, and inclusive governance offer the path to lasting peace. Coercion becomes necessary only when reason has been exhausted.
In this case, I submit that the reason was not only not exhausted, but was probably not explored at all, or not fully explored.
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.
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. While some may insist that “the law has taken its course,” leadership often demands more than a strict, mechanical application of the law. Nations around the world resort to political solutions, negotiated settlements, and even amnesty when legal processes alone cannot serve the broader interest of peace and stability. Nigeria is not an exception.
The handling of 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.
If we truly desire a new Nigeria – a united, peaceful, and progressive one, our leaders must choose healing over hostility, reconciliation over retaliation, and dialogue over division. Only by addressing grievances with justice, fairness, and compassion can we move towards a future where every Nigerian feels heard, valued, and safe.
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.
