The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has condemned in strong terms the Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo over his criticism of the Labour Party chieftain, Peter Obi on his recent call for the release of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOBO spokesman, Emma Powerful, said in a statement on Monday, June 15, 2026, that Soludo was guilty of “betrayal” and “political chameleonic behaviour”, adding that the Governor had previously called for Kanu’s release and had now changed his position.
IPOB cited two previous incidents to back up the claim:
“Soludo visited Kanu in DSS facility in Abuja on May 13, 2022 and publicly appealed for his release, even offering to stand surety.
In March 2025, the governor’s Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said Soludo was “working diligently for Kanu’s release” to restore peace in the South-East.
This was compared by the group to Soludo’s recent reaction to Peter Obi’s call for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Kanu which the Anambra government described as “a slap on the Nigerian judiciary.” IPOB described the position as “the height of treachery” and connected it to Soludo’s alleged ambition to be vice president in 2031.
“What happened all of a sudden Governor Soludo? It was your shameless and blind ambition that changed. “You have now opted to sacrifice Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on the altar of caliphate appeasement,” the statement said.
IPOB said Kanu’s detention was “illegal” and in “violation of court orders”, and that Soludo’s position was a “insult” to late Igbo leaders including Mbazulike Amaechi, former Ohanaeze Ndigbo President George Obiozor and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who had called for Kanu’s release.
The group also said the demand for Kanu’s release “is not an Igbo affair alone” and quoted support from Yoruba cleric Prophet Ayodele and “well-meaning Nigerians” in other regions.
“The Igbo nation has a long memory, your northern masters will never trust a proven betrayer of his own people, IPOB warned Soludo.
Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the DSS since June 2021, and he is facing terrorism and treason charges, which he denies. The same case had been appealed in several courts and is still before the judiciary.
