The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo for what it calls a shift in position on the detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, following criticism by Soludo's media aide of Peter Obi's recent call for Kanu's release. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, renewed his demand for Kanu's freedom during a speech in Washington, D.C., describing the ongoing detention as unjustifiable. In response, Ejimofor Opara, media aide to Governor Soludo, accused Obi of delivering a "major slap" to the judiciary in Nigeria and Finland, referencing the recent conviction of Simon Ekpa in Helsinki on terrorism charges. IPOB dismissed the criticism and accused Soludo of hypocrisy, citing his January 2023 visit to Kanu while in DSS custody, during which he reportedly offered to stand as surety for the detained leader. The group's spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said Soludo's current stance reflects political ambition rather than principle, asking, "What changed is your ambition." IPOB reiterated its demand for Kanu's "immediate and unconditional release," asserting that his imprisonment is a justice issue, not a political one, and noted broad support for his freedom across ethnic and religious lines in Nigeria. Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2025 after being convicted on terrorism-related charges, including incitement and membership of a proscribed organisation. His legal team has filed an appeal, calling the verdict a "travesty of justice." The case remains a contentious issue in Nigerian public discourse.
Soludo's media aide attacked Peter Obi for questioning Kanu's detention, yet the governor once offered to stand surety for the same man. That shift from personal backing to public rebuke exposes a political calculation, not a legal or moral stance. If Kanu's imprisonment is a judicial matter, then Soludo's earlier intervention undermined it more than Obi's comment ever could. The silence on why that 2023 pledge was abandoned speaks louder than the current criticism.
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