Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has cautioned that the conviction of the Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, could heighten security tensions across the country.
In a statement posted on his X account on Saturday, Obi said the judgment has the potential to inflame national anxiety at a time when Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship and worsening insecurity.
Obi described Kanu’s arrest, detention and eventual conviction as avoidable, arguing that the episode reflects leadership gaps and a failure to properly engage with underlying grievances in the South-East.
He said the issues raised by Kanu were longstanding and not insurmountable, stressing that they required “wisdom, empathy and genuine engagement” rather than an overreliance on force.
“Coercion becomes necessary only when reason has been exhausted. In this case, reason was not fully explored, if at all,” Obi stated.
He urged Nigerians to remain calm and called on the Presidency, the Council of State and respected national figures to intervene to avert further tension.
According to him, the country needs “healing over hostility, reconciliation over retaliation, and dialogue over division.”
Earlier in the week, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kanu on all seven terrorism-related charges filed against him.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on counts one, two, four, five and six, while declining to impose the death penalty.
The court also handed him 20 years’ imprisonment on the charge of belonging to a proscribed terrorist group, and five years for unlawfully importing a radio transmitter. Both sentences carry no option of fine.
The charges stemmed from Kanu’s separatist activities, alleged terrorism offences, attacks on security operatives, destruction of public facilities and the broadcasting operations of Radio Biafra.
The judgment held that Kanu’s sit-at-home orders and recorded threats met the threshold for terrorism under Nigerian law.
Obi expressed hope that sustained dialogue built on justice, fairness and compassion would eventually lead to lasting peace.