Soludo's Aide Blasts Peter Obi Over Nnamdi Kanu's Detention

The Special Adviser on Media to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Ejimofor Opara, has taken a swipe at the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, over his recent comments on the trial of the Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Obi, during a recent interaction with Nigerians in Washington, D.C., United States, reiterated his call for Kanu's release, stating that there was no justification for his continued detention. However, Opara has described Obi's comments as a 'major slap' on the Nigerian judiciary and an insult to the judiciary of Finland, where Simon Ekpa, a protégé of Kanu, was tried and sentenced to six years in prison for terrorism-related offences. Opara stated that Obi's comments were careless, baseless, and self-serving, and intended to undermine the judiciary which had previously ruled in his favour. In 2006, the judiciary restored Obi's mandate as governor of Anambra State, and in 2007, it came to his rescue after he was ousted by Andy Uba. Opara argued that Obi should have utmost respect for the Nigerian judiciary and not make statements that could be seen as an attempt to rubbish it. Kanu is currently serving a life imprisonment sentence after being convicted of terrorism-related charges by a Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025. The court found him guilty of multiple counts, including incitement, membership of a proscribed organisation, and alleged involvement in attacks linked to separatist activities in the South-East. Kanu has since rejected the judgment and filed an appeal, challenging both his conviction and sentence.