By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has taken a swipe on the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo for what it described as a shameful attack on Peter Obi over his call for the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Obi had during a recent town hall meeting in Washington DC stated that the continued detention of the Indigenous People of Biafra leader is unjustified and pledged to release him if elected.

The group in a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful said that it watched with utter disgust and anger as Soludo through his government, viciously attacked Obi for demanding the immediate and unconditional release of its leader.

The statement partly reads, "What a tragic betrayal! What a painful display of naked hypocrisy and desperate political prostitution!

"Let it be known to the world that on Friday, May 13, 2022 the same Governor Soludo made a high-profile visit to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS facility in Abuja. He sat with our leader, shook his hands, looked into his eyes, and publicly demanded his release.

"He went as far as offering to stand as surety for Kanu. As recently as March 2025, Soludo’s own Commissioner for Information, Mr. Law Mefor, boasted that the governor “has been actively working towards Kanu’s release” because he believed it would restore peace in the South-East.

"Today, the same Soludo, through his government, describes Peter Obi’s identical call for justice as “a slap on the Nigerian judiciary"and claims it undermines judicial processes.

"This is not statesmanship. This is the height of treachery and political chameleonic behaviour.

"Governor Soludo, what suddenly changed? What changed is your blind and shameless ambition to become Vice President in 2031 under a Fulani-led ticket.

"You have now chosen to sacrifice Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the collective interest of the Igbo nation on the altar of caliphate appeasement. You want to outdo Dave Umahi, Orji Uzor Kalu, Hope Uzodinma, Rochas Okorocha, and Chris Ngige in the hall of fame of Igbo betrayers. But history has already judged them, and it will judge you even more harshly."

While noting that no true, authentic man with Igbo blood flowing in his veins — turns against the freedom of his own brother after riding on that same cause to power, IPOB added,

"You visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in detention when you needed Igbo votes and his moral endorsement to become governor. Now that you occupy the seat, you have shamelessly turned against him and the people who put you there, all in pursuit of crumbs from Abuja.

"You are not a leader. You are a political weathercock — turning wherever the wind of power blows."

"The same judiciary you now defend with fake reverence is the one that has held our leader in illegal, dehumanising detention for years in clear violation of court orders. Yet you choose to defend oppression against your own brother for personal gain."

The group further said that Soludo’s shameful new stance is not only a betrayal of the Igbo cause but a direct insult to the memory of great Igbo icons who fearlessly championed the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

It described it as an insult to the legacy of Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, the revered First Republic Minister who offered refuge to Nelson Mandela at his darkest hour when he fled to Nigeria.

IPOB also cited the Governor’s stance as an insult to the memory of Chief Emmanuel Obiozor, Ambassador George Obiozor, and the entire leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo — men of integrity who stood boldly for justice and the unconditional release of its leader.

"Let it be clear: the demand for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release is not an Igbo affair alone. IPOB stands shoulder to shoulder with Prophet Ayodele, the respected Yoruba man of God who spoke truth to power just a few days ago, alongside other well-meaning Nigerians from the Hausa North, the Christian Middle Belt, and across the federation who have continued to call for his freedom.

"Justice knows no tribe. Only a man chasing personal ambition at the expense of his people would pretend otherwise.

"The blood of thousands of innocent Biafran youths slaughtered in the East continues to cry out from the ground. Their mothers still weep inconsolably. Their children still ask why their father remains in chains. And at this critical moment, an Igbo governor chooses to pour salt on these open wounds just to please his northern puppet masters. Shame! Deep, generational shame on you, Soludo!

"IPOB stands firmly with Mr. Peter Obi, Prophet Ayodele, and every well-meaning Nigerian — Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Middle Belt, and beyond — who continues to demand the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The release of our leader is not a political tool for ambition; it is a non-negotiable demand for justice, equity, and the restoration of the dignity of the Igbo nation and the conscience of Nigeria", the statement added.

IPOB further reminded Gov Soludo that the Igbo nation has a long memory, saying, "We have seen your type before — those who traded collective interest for personal gain and ended up discarded like used tissue paper. Your northern masters will never trust a proven betrayer of his own people.

"We call for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Now. The spirit of Biafra is alive. The resolve of Ndigbo and all justice-loving Nigerians remains unshaken."