Ejimofor Opara, Special Adviser on Media to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, over his remarks concerning the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Obi had recently renewed his call for Kanu’s release during an engagement with Nigerians in Washington, D.C., United States, where he argued that there was no justification for keeping the IPOB leader in custody.
The Obidient Movement also confirmed that the engagement reportedly took place a few days earlier.
In a video circulating widely on social media, the former Anambra State governor restated his long-held position that Kanu ought not to remain in detention.
Responding to the comments, Opara described Obi’s position as a “major slap” not only on the Nigerian judiciary but also on the judicial system of Finland, where Simon Ekpa—described as Kanu’s associate—was prosecuted, convicted, and is currently serving a six-year sentence for terrorism-related offences.
Opara made his position known in a statement issued on Sunday, in which he accused Obi of making remarks that were careless, unfounded, and self-serving, adding that they undermined institutions that had, according to him, once played roles in Obi’s political journey.
The statement partly read:
“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.”
Opara further insisted that Obi’s remarks amounted to an attack on judicial integrity, urging him to retract his statement and apologise publicly to both the Nigerian and Finnish judicial systems.