The 2023 Labour Party(LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Saturday faulted the Federal Government’s handling of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu’s case, saying that dialogue remains the only viable path to peace.
Obi, who stated through his official X handle on Saturday, also warned that Kanu’s conviction could worsen national tension.
The former Anambra governor lamented that the development came at a time when Nigerians faced “severe economic hardship, insecurity, and the consequences of poor governance.”
According to Obi, the government mishandled the case from the outset and failed to explore peaceful means to resolve it.
“The news of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction should compel every well-meaning Nigerian to pause and reflect. I have always maintained that Mazi Kanu should never have been arrested. His arrest, detention, and now conviction represent a failure of leadership and a misunderstanding of the issues at stake,” he wrote.
“Dialogue, constructive engagement, and inclusive governance offer the path to lasting peace. Coercion becomes necessary only when reason has been exhausted.”Obi said, just as he also urged national leaders to prioritise reconciliation and called on the Presidency, the Council of State and respected statesmen to intervene and seek a political solution.
“If we truly desire a new Nigeria, our leaders must choose healing over hostility, reconciliation over retaliation, and dialogue over division,” he added.
BusinessTodayNg reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja president over by Justice James Omotosho on Thursday sentenced Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment for terrorism.
Justice Omotosho found him guilty on several counts, including inciting violence, belonging to a proscribed organisation, and threatening attacks on Nigerian and foreign targets.
