Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has criticised the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, describing it as unjustifiable and unreasonable.
Speaking during an appearance on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme aired on July 6, 2025, Obi said it was difficult to rationalise Kanu’s prolonged custody, especially if the charges against him are centred on the use of vulgar or offensive language.
“For every one of them—why is he still being held? It does not make sense to me,” the former Anambra State governor stated when asked whether he would advocate a political solution for the IPOB leader.
Obi argued that using harsh or vulgar words should not warrant detention, noting that such remarks come with the territory of leadership.
“They said he’s using vulgar words. But it doesn’t bother me. If I’m president and someone calls me a thief or an idiot, which they call me today, it doesn’t bother me. My duty is to ensure the common man has food on the table,” he said.
He emphasised that his approach to handling national agitations and insecurity would be anchored on dialogue and political inclusivity rather than military force or long-term detentions.
“If there are people I can talk to, I’ll talk to them,” Obi said. “Let’s say tomorrow we have a bandit operating in the North East, I’ll meet with him. That’s just to establish a link and say, ‘enough is enough.’ Afterwards, I’ll deal with it decisively.”
