By Taiwo Scholarstica
The Special Adviser on Media to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Mr. Ejimofor Opara, has criticised former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, over his recent comments on the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Obi had renewed his call for Kanu’s release during an interaction with Nigerians in Washington, D.C., United States, stating that there was no justification for the continued detention of the IPOB leader.
In a video from the event that has circulated widely on social media, Obi said he had consistently maintained that Kanu should not remain in custody.
Reacting to the remarks, Opara described Obi’s position as a disrespect to the judiciary. He argued that the comments undermined both the Nigerian judicial system and the judiciary in Finland, where Simon Ekpa, whom he described as Kanu’s protégé, was convicted and sentenced on terrorism-related charges.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Opara said Obi had benefited from the Nigerian judiciary in the past and should therefore respect its processes and decisions.
According to him, the courts played a key role in restoring Obi’s mandate as governor of Anambra State in 2006 and later returned him to office following another legal dispute in 2007.
Opara accused Obi of making careless and self-serving comments capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
He maintained that the courts had followed due process in handling matters relating to Kanu and insisted that judicial institutions should be respected.
The governor’s aide further said that public figures seeking leadership positions should avoid statements that could be interpreted as supporting individuals convicted of terrorism-related offences.
He also called on Obi to apologise to both the Nigerian judiciary and the courts in Finland over his remarks.
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on terrorism-related charges in November 2025.
The court found him guilty on several counts, including incitement, membership of a proscribed organisation and involvement in activities linked to separatist violence in the South-East.
However, Kanu has rejected the judgment and filed an appeal challenging both his conviction and sentence.
Neither Obi nor his supporters had responded to Opara’s statement as of the time of filing this report.