‘Low Even for You’: Presidency Tears Into Obi Over Reaction to Kanu’s Life Imprisonment.

The Presidency has criticized former presidential candidate Peter Obi over his reaction to the life sentence imposed on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, describing Obi’s remarks as convenient rather than courageous.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Kanu was handed a life imprisonment sentence on Thursday by the Federal High Court in Abuja after Justice James Omotosho ruled him guilty on all seven charges bordering on terrorism and related crimes.

Reacting to the judgment in a statement released on Saturday, Obi argued that the conviction comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship, rising insecurity, and the consequences of what he termed poor governance. He reiterated his long-held position that Kanu should never have been arrested, insisting that dialogue, inclusive engagement, and political solutions remain the only viable path to lasting stability in the Southeast.

Obi maintained that Kanu’s arrest, prolonged detention, and eventual conviction represent a failure of leadership and a misinterpretation of the real issues affecting the region.

However, the Presidency dismissed Obi’s comments as an attempt to politicize a sensitive national security matter. A senior presidential aide said in a post that Obi had consistently avoided condemning violent acts attributed to IPOB and its militant wing, accusing him of ignoring years of killings, arson, kidnappings, and widespread fear across the Southeast.

The presidential official argued that Obi’s latest intervention “is not driven by justice or a genuine quest for peace” but rather a strategic effort to score political points. He faulted Obi for failing to acknowledge victims of IPOB-linked violence, saying such silence amounts to selective empathy and exposes what he described as the inconsistency in Obi’s moral stance.

He further stated that portraying Kanu as a victim without acknowledging the bloodshed associated with his movement is “political calculation, not leadership.” According to the Presidency, linking the issue to Nigeria’s economic crisis was a deliberate diversion intended to shift public attention from the violent consequences of IPOB’s activities.

The official insisted that genuine dialogue must be anchored on accountability and remorse, not on overlooking the suffering of affected communities. He added that what the country needs are leaders committed to truth, unity, and national healing, not those who “find their voice only when it is politically expedient.”