The Indigenous People of Biafra has launched a fierce verbal assault on Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, accusing him of treachery, political chameleonic behavior, and abandoning the collective interests of the Igbo nation.
The scathing rebuke came via an official press statement released on Monday, June 15, 2026, by the separatist group's media and publicity secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful. The organization expressed profound fury over recent remarks from the Anambra State government that criticized former presidential candidate Peter Obi for advocating the immediate and unconditional release of detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The escalating war of words highlights the deep, bitter political fractures currently running through Nigeria's South-East region over the prolonged detention of Kanu, who remains in the custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja.
IPOB's spokesperson characterized the Soludo administration's condemnation of Peter Obi as a tragic betrayal and a display of naked hypocrisy. The group pointedly reminded the public of Soludo’s own past actions, noting that on May 13, 2022, the governor conducted a high-profile visit to Kanu at the DSS facility, where he publicly demanded his release and even offered to stand as his legal surety. Furthermore, the statement recalled that as recently as March 2025, Anambra State Commissioner for Information Law Mefor had publicly boasted about the governor's active behind-the-scenes efforts to secure Kanu's freedom as a vital step toward restoring security in the region.
The group questioned the sudden policy shift from the governor's office, which recently described Obi's calls for Kanu's release as a slap on the face of the Nigerian judiciary. IPOB alleged that Soludo's altered stance is entirely driven by personal political ambitions, specifically pointing to a desire to position himself for a vice-presidential slot on a northern-led political ticket in 2031. The spokesperson claimed the governor is attempting to appease federal authorities at the expense of his own people, comparing him to past South-East leaders whom the group labeled as historical betrayers of the Igbo cause.
According to the statement, Soludo's current position undermines the legacy of revered Igbo icons who consistently championed Kanu's freedom. The group explicitly cited First Republic Minister Chief Mbazulike Amaechi and former Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General Ambassador George Obiozor as men of integrity whose memory has been insulted by the state government's recent pronouncements.
IPOB emphasized that the demand for the release of Nnamdi Kanu has transcended regional or ethnic boundaries, gaining momentum across various geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The group praised figures outside the South-East, including the Yoruba cleric Prophet Ayodele, alongside various commentators from the Hausa North and the Middle Belt, who have echoed calls for the separatist leader's release on the grounds of national justice and equity.
The organization reaffirmed its solidarity with Peter Obi and all international and domestic voices demanding an end to Kanu's years of detention, which it termed illegal and dehumanizing in light of previous court rulings. Turning its attention to the security situation in the region, IPOB stated that the ongoing incarceration of their leader continues to aggravate the open wounds of communities affected by violence and military operations across the East.
Issuing a stern warning to the Anambra State chief executive, the group asserted that the Igbo electorate possesses a long memory and would ultimately reject leaders who trade communal interests for political crumbs from Abuja. The statement concluded with a defiant reiteration that no amount of political gymnastics or administrative opposition would break the resolve of the movement or halt the ongoing campaign for the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
