The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised the prolonged detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), calling it senseless and unjust.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on July 6, 2025, Obi questioned the rationale behind keeping Kanu in custody, especially over what he described as non-violent offences.
“Why is he still being held? It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said when asked whether he would support a political resolution to Kanu’s case.
Obi further argues
The former governor of Anambra State argued that allegations of using offensive language were not sufficient grounds for incarceration.
“Some say he used vulgar words… I haven’t even seen it,” Obi noted. “But even if he did, so what? It wouldn’t bother me as president if someone called me a thief or an idiot—which they already do today. That’s not my focus. My responsibility is to ensure the average Nigerian can afford food and live decently.”
Reaffirming his preference for dialogue over force in resolving national agitations and security challenges, Obi said he would always seek inclusive and peaceful solutions first.
“If there are people I can talk to, I’ll talk to them,” he said. “Let’s say there’s a bandit in the North East—I’ll engage him initially just to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ But that’s just the entry point. After that, I’ll take firm action.”
