Obidigbo to Tinubu: Resolve Nnamdi Kanu’s Case Politically or Risk South East Crisis

Elder statesman and President of the Osisioma Foundation, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently adopt a political solution to the detention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He warned that ignoring the issue could destabilise the South East and heighten tensions across Nigeria.

In a statement personally signed by him, Obidigbo criticised what he described as the silence of Nigeria’s political class on Kanu’s worsening health, stressing that the neglect risks fueling resentment and unrest reminiscent of the civil war era.

“The troubling health condition of the IPOB leader should be a source of great worry to those in authority in Nigeria,” he said, faulting South East politicians for failing to speak up compared to how other regions rally around their own.

Obidigbo likened Kanu to South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, noting:
“While Mandela was jailed for seeking freedom for his people, Kanu is being prosecuted for demanding equity and justice in Nigeria.”

He questioned why Kanu remained in solitary confinement when armed insurgents and bandits had been offered amnesty and even red-carpet treatment.
“Seeing all these, it beggars belief that Nnamdi Kanu is being kept in solitary confinement for calling for restructuring of the country through referendum, which is the highest expression of democratic choice,” he stated.

The Osisioma Foundation president argued that many Nigerians, including respected leaders, have long demanded political restructuring. “Why should Kanu suffer double jeopardy for expressing frustration over Nigeria’s contradictions? Is he the only one expressing such concerns over the malformed entity called Nigeria?” he asked.

Obidigbo cautioned that allowing Kanu’s health to deteriorate could trigger widespread unrest. He also criticised the media for not giving the issue enough attention and urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to grant Kanu access to specialist medical care.

“I am compelled to believe that it is this intolerance of dissent that has frightened Igbo politicians, especially elected representatives, away from talking about Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the injustice against his cause,” he said.

Appealing directly to President Tinubu, he urged him to extend the same political solution applied to the Rivers State crisis to Kanu’s case.
“Unless that is done, the general impression that the President wants to plunge South East into confusion to avoid election in the region may become plausible,” Obidigbo warned.

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