Kanu’s life conviction: Obi’s hypocrisy and desperation for power, by Kola Amzat

While preparing for 2023 presidential elections, Peter Obi-the then LP party presidential candidate anchored his electioneering campaign on two major manifestoes-religious sentiments and ethnicity.

Indeed, his campaign was hugely rooted in ethnic-centric campaign, heavily relying on regional markets and Igbo-dominated areas. He devoted much effort to tribal sentiment.

He also treated the election as a “religious war”, overtly or subtly appealing to Christian populations, especially in the Christian-minority areas of Northern and Central Nigeria to take their country back.

Of course, this mischief earned him some votes in the Christianity minority areas of the country like Benue, Plateau, Nassarawa and few others, but he couldn’t go beyond that. It was even impossible for him to record constitutionally mandatory 25% in 15 states, how much more in 24 states.

Such was Obi’s recklessness and inglorious move during the electioneering campaign for 2023 general elections.

The crux of this piece: Peter obi has started again.

Recently in Washington D.C. United States of America while interacting with a group of Nigerians, Obi declared that there is no reason whatsoever to continue to keep the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu in prison. According to him, he has repeatedly maintained that there is no reason whatsoever to keep Kanu in prison.

He further asserted to his audience that the government cannot arrest somebody because he was speaking on the radio or calling people’s names. According to him, it doesn’t make sense.

Peter Obi bluntly and mischievously refused to confirm to his audience that Nnamdi Kanu was convicted for three major reasons:

·       Incitement to Violence: Prosecutors proved that Kanu’s broadcasts and directives incited deadly attacks on security forces and citizens in southeastern Nigeria.

·       Illegal Directives: The court also found him guilty of enforcing destructive “sit-at-home” orders and crippling local businesses.

·       Terrorist Activities: Evidence showed involvement in teaching followers to manufacture explosives and attacks on public infrastructure, arms and ammunition they were deploying in wreaking havoc in the entire South East geo-political zone.   

During the interactive session, he also confirmed that if voted to power, he would adopt dialogue in addressing agitations across the country.

According to him, engaging agitators would help the government understand the issues deriving their demands and therefore find lasting solutions.

Nigerians of goodwill should inform Obi that his much-vaunted model is archaic, hollow, jaded and outdated.

Of course, the NDC presidential candidate for the 2027 polls is already living in the past. His approach and model is not contemporary. Indeed, if he’s serious about that, that’s the approach he would likely adopt to halt and battle insurgency, then he’s sleeping and slumbering.

Several times, the model was adopted during Buhari’s administration. The result was catastrophe. The approach was in place in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and so many other states. The result was zero as negotiation with bandits and insurgents got them emboldened and more empowered fiscally to acquire better and modern arms and ammunitions to seamlessly continue with their dastard and nefarious trade.

Meanwhile, Peter Obi should be humble enough to acknowledge and reflect on the wonderful initiatives that the president has deployed in recent times to combat head-on the scourge of banditry and insurgence across the country:

It’s important that the former Anambra state governor should be schooled and tutored on actively expanding security collaboration through joint intelligence sharing, advisory military deployments, and strategic working groups between Nigeria and the United States.

This comprehensive partnership focuses on dismantling terrorist networks aimed at combating transnational organized crime, and disrupting illicit financial and drug trafficking operations across West Africa.

In recent times, the Joint Task Operations led to successful precision strikes against high-profile ISIS and ISWAP commanders in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel regions.

In addition to this, US military personnel and training teams are deployed to locations including Bauchi and Maiduguri to provide technical support, capacity building, and intelligence-led training for Nigerian forces under local command.

Moreover, in recent times, the president has caused unprecedented coordination amongst all the security agencies-Armed Forces, DSS, Police Authority, NSCDC and others. The idea is for the security agencies to operate with unity of purpose and focus.

Besides, the president’s initiative is to facilitate robust intelligence networks and surveillance amongst the agencies. And, of course, there exists no doubt that the initiative has caught off guard several bandits and insurgents, as several groups have continually been extinguished in recent time across the country.

Peter Obi should also be informed of the recent appointment of Major Adeyinka Famadewa (rtd) for the office of Special Adviser to the president on Homeland Security. The new appointee has over three decades of productive service in military service, intelligence operations, counter terrorism and national security.

The innovation in the above appointment is indicative of relentless and unwavering efforts by President Tinubu to continue to tinker with security architecture in order to address identified weaknesses in the anti-insurgency war and achieve improved outcomes in a more effective and coordinated manner.

Of course, the president has not hesitated failed to effect necessary and compelling changes in security architecture whenever the need arises.

Maybe Peter Obi is oblivious of the fact that the state police Bill is about to manifesr. The Lower Chamber has passed the Bill for its creation and the Bill is in second reading in the Upper Chamber. Meanwhile, the states assembly across the country have all been notified to get ready in passing the Bill as soon as it is made available before the president assents.

The idea behind the State Police is to comprehensively involve the state and community in battling to standstill the insurgents and bandits as a larger percentage of criminality are perpetrated at the grassroots level.

Of course, kidnapping and banditry, as well as other criminalities are problems requiring community trust & confidence, sustained & continual law enforcement as well as forensic skills.

In addition, the NDC presidential candidate must acknowledge the humongous sum of ₦5.8 trillion appropriated for the Ministry of Defense in 2027 Appropriation Bill. The major aim of the huge fund is to battle all forms of criminality to standstill, by deploying modern equipment and tools in smoking out bandits and insurgents from wherever they may be during this year and even beyond.   

So, where lies Peter Obi’s persuasive appeals? Dustbin!

The NDC presidential candidate should be told in clear terms that the world has moved beyond his archaic and jaded thinking. Nigerians have left him behind.

This administration would not negotiate in whatever forms with bandits and criminals, as the president has for the umpteenth time warned them to surrender, otherwise, they would be smoked out and extinguished.

Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB),

Lagos based Financial & Management Consultants,

09077509348.