Obi had reiterated his call for Kanu’s release during an interaction with Nigerians in Washington, D.C., United States, saying there was no justification for the continued detention of the IPOB leader.
- +Peter Obi’s call for Kanu’s release a slap on judiciary — Soludo’s aide
Obidient Movement said the visit took place a few days ago.
Obidient Movement said the visit took place a few days ago.
In a video that has been widely shared on social media, the former Anambra State governor said he had consistently maintained that Kanu should not remain in custody.
However, reacting to Obi’s comments, Opara described them as a “major slap” not just on the Nigerian judiciary, but also as an insult to the judiciary of Finland, where Simon Ekpa, described as Kanu’s protégé, was tried, found guilty, and is currently serving a six-year jail term for terrorism-related offences.
Opara stated this in a statement he released to our correspondent on Sunday, insisting that Obi’s comments were careless, baseless, and self-serving, and intended to rubbish the judiciary which, he said, had benefitted him.
The statement read in part: “Peter Obi is a product of the Nigerian judiciary. In 2006, the judiciary restored his mandate against all known odds. The same judiciary came to his rescue in 2007 after Andy Uba had skillfully manoeuvred him out of the power game.
“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.
“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.
“For a man going into a major election, pandering to terrorists is not an advantage, especially when the judiciary has painstakingly committed itself to ensuring a just and open process.
“If Peter Obi were smart and clear-headed, he would have known that the judiciary permitted a live broadcast of the final proceedings of Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction and sentencing precisely to avert careless statements like the one Obi made from faraway Maryland, USA.
“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.”
Kanu 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 alleged 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, which are to run concurrently.
Kanu has since rejected the judgment and proceeded to file an appeal, challenging both his conviction and sentence.
