The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reacted sharply to the conviction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, warning that the development risks heightening tension at a period he described as one of the most fragile in the nation’s history.
Obi said the judgment should force the country to pause and reflect, noting that Nigerians are already battling unprecedented economic hardship, insecurity, and the consequences of leadership failures.
He argued that instead of easing national anxiety, the conviction could worsen it, stressing that the approach taken by the government has been counterproductive and insensitive to the mood of the nation.
Obi restated his long-held position that Kanu ought not to have been arrested in the first place. According to him, the arrest, detention, and now conviction represent a deeper failure of leadership and an inability to appreciate the core issues behind the agitation.
He insisted that sustainable peace comes through dialogue, engagement, and inclusive governance, not coercion, adding that in this case, reason was neither fully deployed nor given a chance to work.
The former Anambra governor said the issues Kanu raised were not impossible to resolve, noting that what was required was empathy, wisdom, and a leadership willing to listen and respond with reforms that reinforce national unity.
He warned that the government’s handling of the matter has fuelled mistrust and introduced an avoidable distraction at a time when citizens are struggling with harsh economic realities and pervasive insecurity.
Obi emphasised that leadership goes beyond a rigid application of the law, pointing out that many nations adopt political solutions, negotiated settlements, and even amnesty when legal processes alone threaten national cohesion.
According to him, the government’s approach resembles “a man in a hole who continues to dig,” stressing that the handling of the case has compounded both the government’s image and the country’s overall condition.
Obi urged the Presidency, the Council of State, and respected national figures to intervene and pursue a political resolution, insisting that healing, reconciliation, and justice remain the only path toward a united and peaceful Nigeria.
