The Rising Sun Group, a group of pan-Igbo rights activists, has accused Orji Uzor Kalu, a senator from Abia North, of using the issue of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, to gain favor with President Bola Tinubu.
Former Abia State governor Kalu claimed in a Channels Television interview that Kanu’s agitation killed 30,000 people in the South-East. Additionally, he stated that he had been working hard to get Kanu out of custody.
The senator was responding to concerns about Kanu’s terrorism conviction and the life sentence imposed by Justice James Omotosho’s Abuja Federal High Court.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Rising Sun’s coordinators, Maxwell Dede and Reverend Father Augustine Odinmegwa, refuted Kalu’s allegations, claiming that the senator is one of the Igbo elite members who will do everything to further their political agendas.
Instead of defending what they called Kanu’s persecution, the pan-Igbo campaigners said that Orji Kalu should have remained silent if he had nothing to say.
“Our attention has been drawn to Sunday’s interview by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who represents Abia North, on Channels TV, where he claimed that over 30,000 people had died due to the agitation by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement stated in part. During the conversation, the former governor of Abia also backed Justice James Omotosho about his notorious Kanu ruling.
Senator Kalu chose to criticize Nnamdi Kanu for his outraged response to the blatant injustice that Justice Omotosho had inflicted upon him rather than remain silent if he had nothing worthwhile to say. As if that weren’t enough, Senator Kalu started making outrageous assertions about his alleged role in getting Kanu released in 2017. Additionally, he denigrated the Igbo and everyone who was dissatisfied with the aforementioned ruling, which can only be considered a mockery of justice. Even though we are offended by such careless comments, we are not shocked because we are aware that a leopard cannot alter the color of its skin. The long-held belief in many places that Senator Kalu is a member of the Igbo elite willing to play any role due to political interest has only been confirmed.
However, any attempt by Orji Uzor Kalu to utilize Kanu’s case to gain favor with the President is something that Ndigbo will not tolerate. He is only half smart for believing that he could garner Tinubu’s favor—possibly in exchange for a return ticket in 2027—by using careless vituperation and unguarded remarks against the IPOB leader.
It is well known that Orji Uzor Kalu was one of the people who fiercely opposed Tinubu’s presidential campaign in 2023, when he openly supported Ahmed Lawan, the Senate President at the time. Senator Kalu is mistaken about Nigerians’ intelligence. They are already aware of the true reason for his unexpected affection for President Tinubu.
By drawing comparisons between Nnamdi Kanu’s “alleged unruly behavior” in court and Kalu’s “calmness” during his trial for alleged financial fraud, the activists further claimed that Kalu insulted the Igbo people.
Kalu should realize that there is no connection between the crime for which he was found guilty and imprisoned “and the trumped-up charges, biased trial, of subsequent strange conviction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” according to the statement.
Rising Sun noted that if it weren’t for Nigeria’s faulty election system, Kalu would have no place in government and urged the senator to quit humiliating himself in his quest for political importance. The statement further said, “We want to warm him to stop using Nnamdi Kanu’s matter to play politics.”
In a similar vein, Rising Sun questioned why, despite all he claimed to have done, Kalu—who it described as Tinubu’s political age-mate—had not been able to mediate a political resolution to Kanu’s case. The senator was asked to “do the needful” by the group.
What is preventing him from resolving Kanu’s political situation if he feels he has the ability and clout to do so? Orji Uzor Kalu, a prominent member of the ruling party, former governor, and political ally of President Ahmed Tinubu, ought to take the lead in finding a political solution for Kanu’s release without waiting for anybody else. According to the statement, he should use his unrestricted access to the authorities to take necessary action.
“Since Orji Uzor Kalu claims that over 30,000 people were killed in South-East as a result of the agitation by Nnamdi Kanu, can he tell the world who authorized the said killings?” Rising Sun also disputed Kalu’s allegations regarding the killings in the region.
Will Senator Kalu pretend to be unaware that security forces are executing IPOB members in a genocidal manner without provoking anyone? Was he talking about the killings of Biafra agitators at a pro-Trump event in Port Harcourt, IPOB members who were praying in Nkpor and Onitsha, or those who were praying at the National High School Aba? How could Orji Uzor Kalu legitimately accuse IPOB members—who are actually the unfortunate victims of security forces’ brutality—of committing an innocent crime?
“We caution Orji Uzor Kalu and other political opportunists not to make any more careless or dishonest comments on Kanu’s experience. Anyone who betrays his countrymen for personal gain will be condemned by history.
