WILL NNAMDI OKWU KANU BE RELEASED TO DEMARKET PETER OBI?

Since the news came out, that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was acquitted by an appeal court sitting in Abuja, I have been receiving calls from friends who wanted to know my opinion on the court ruling. The ruling itself was received with mixed feelings by Nigerians especially by people of the Southeast extraction. On one hand, there are people who feel that the ruling was a victory for Kanu, for Ndi Igbo and for the Biafran struggle. On the other, other people view it as a grand plan by the ruling party to demarket Obi candidature and destroy his presidential ambition.

Well, as I told those who requested my opinion, there were only two types of people who can speak with certainty on why the appeal court decided to strike out the remaining 7 count charges against Kanu. The first group are prophets who have direct revelation from God on the hidden meaning of historical events. Meanwhile, I have no special claim to prophecy and therefore have no revelation on why Kanu was acquitted. The second set of people who should know isPresident Mohammadu Buhari and key decision makers of his ruling party. Here again, I am not a member of the ruling party and so wouldn’t know if such decision was taken.

In all this, the simply and sincere answer I can give to the question on why the appeal court suddenly from nowhere decides to have Kanu discharged is that I don’t know. However, this does not mean that I cannot conjecture about what might have transpired behind closed doors. Let us look at some possibilities.  

I have said on many occasions, that the extra-ordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya is an illegality that would come back to hunt Nigeria if it is allowed to stand. There are laydown international instruments on how to bring back fugitives to face justice in countries they are fleeing from. This procedure was not followed in Kanu’s case. The fact is that Kanu will not be the only fugitive and the way his case is handled will set precedence for other cases. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Hon. Judges of the Appeal Court after looking at what was involved and what danger Kanu’s case portends for the Nigerian judicial system decided to acquit him.

However, this hypothesis is most unlikely. It is true that the judiciary is said to be the last hope of the common man but this is hardly the case in Nigeria. In fact, over the years, the Nigerian judiciary has been the rubber stamp of the executive. Buhari made this worse with his anti-judiciary activities including the arrest of judges and refusal to obey court injunctions. The fact that Nigerians don’t believe in their court system is even the main reason everybody is curious about the reason behind Kanu’s acquittal.

President Mohammadu Buhari through his utterances, lopsided appointment and posture towards IPOB made himself an enemy of Ndi Igbo. However, from the look of things, it does appear that Mr. President has not been comfortable with the way he is perceived in the Southeast. If anything does not say this, his constant visit to Imo State and the way his media aids have been hyping his little achievements in the Zone are indicative that Buhari would want to be seen differently Ndi Igbo.

Now, even the most ardent opponent of Nnamdi Kanu cannot deny that Kanu is seen as a hero in the Southeast. Those who revere Kanu in the Zone are not just IPOB members. An interaction with market women and old men and women in the villages, would convince any doubting Thomas that indigenes of the Zone can go to many lengths to show their love for Kanu.

Therefore, it is possible that President Buhari, especially now that he is about to leave office, has decided to make peace with the Southeast by releasing Kanu. I have no doubt that if this is the case, Buhari will be leaving an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of average Southeasterners who have been grieving over the incarceration of their beloved Kanu. Not only this, as I wrote in my previous article on this, Buhari will also be remembered as the president who initiated the long overdue process of reconciling Nigerians.  

• Kanu will be Released to Demarket Obi  

This by far is what many people consider the main reason Kanu will be released. The idea is that the growing popularity of Obi’s candidature took the ruling party unaware and in panic they are currently scampering for a way to avert the revolution, which Obi’s candidature has become. Therefore, it is believed that if Nnamdi Kanu is released and goes back to the agitation for Biafra, Obi’s presidential ambition will be as good as dead. Nnamdi Kanu’s return with his agitation will not only take away from Obi a bulk of his Southeast and South-South supporters, it will also antagonize those who would have supported him from other zones.

Considering the nature of Nigerian politics, this last reason seems to be the most cogent of the three hypotheses, but is it? Even if it is, is it enough to send Obi’s supporters panicking? I don’tthink so. One thing those who hatched this plan, if actually it is hatched, failed to understand is that Biafra is not a non-negotiable for Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu’s agitation for Biafra was inspired by the failure of Nigeria. The Kanu I know will not insist on Biafra if the option of a better Nigeria is presented to him. I have no doubt that Kanu will drop his agitation if given an option of aNigeria where the Igbo man is treated justly and equally like his peers from other tribes.

Additionally, the Kanu I know, who is so passionate about the wellbeing of Ndi Igbo, will never,I repeat, will never be a party to a anything that will truncate the collective aspiration of the Igbo nation.  Therefore, if Kanu sees Obi’s presidential aspiration as something feasible and that through it, Ndi Igbo will attain their aspiration of equal citizenship in Nigeria, it will receive his double endorsement. However, if he understands that Obi’s aspiration is just a ruse by Nigeria’s elite to distract Ndi Igbo from pursuit of Biafra, he won’t hesitate to restart the Biafra struggle from where he stopped. Whatever happens, one thing I can vouch for is that Kanu will not take a decision that will harm the interest of Ndi Igbo. Those who think otherwise will be disappointed.