The Nigerian presidency has launched a strong rebuke against Peter Obi, the Labour Party's 2027 presidential candidate, following his condemnation of the court judgment that sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment.
Court Delivers Landmark Ruling on IPOB Leader
The Federal High Court in Abuja handed down multiple sentences, including life imprisonment, to Nnamdi Kanu on Thursday, November 20, 2025. The judgment came in response to the terror activities linked to the proscribed IPOB group across Nigeria's southeast region.
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, quickly described the court's decision as "unfortunate" and characterized the entire process—from Kanu's arrest and detention to his eventual conviction—as evidence of leadership failure in the country. The opposition figure asserted that the government fundamentally misunderstood the issues at hand.
Presidential Aide Accuses Obi of Political Opportunism
Olusegun Dada, Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on social media, fired back at Obi's comments, labeling them as "a calculated attempt to politicise a national security issue." In a strongly worded statement, Dada accused the former governor of transforming Kanu's conviction into another platform for political posturing.
The presidential aide highlighted what he described as Obi's consistent silence regarding violent activities attributed to IPOB and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). Dada pointedly noted that Obi had never "openly condemned the killings, beheadings, arson, kidnappings, and terror carried out by IPOB and ESN."
Escalating War of Words Over Security Approach
Dada's statement further criticized Obi for maintaining careful silence about IPOB's deadly operations while remaining mute about "innocent people were murdered" in the southeast. The presidential aide specifically referenced how Obi had offered no comment when sit-at-home orders crippled economic activities and claimed lives in the region.
"You consistently avoided the topic until now, when the judgment offers you a chance to score political points," Dada stated. "Even in this long statement, you still refused to mention a single victim of IPOB's violence. Not one. Instead, you paint Kanu as the aggrieved party, while erasing the pain of those whose lives his rhetoric helped destroy."
The IPOB group and ESN have been implicated in numerous attacks across the five southeastern states, including high-profile incidents such as the killing of the husband of late Dora Akunyili. The organizations have also been accused of targeting police officers, soldiers, burning police stations, and attacking INEC offices throughout the region.
In contrast to these allegations, Peter Obi has frequently characterized IPOB members as "mere agitators" seeking freedom, creating a significant point of contention in the ongoing debate about how to address security challenges in the southeast.
