My brother, let us put emotions aside and sit with the facts, history, and constitutional realities surrounding Nnamdi Kanu’s case. Leadership is not always loud. Sometimes, the loudest noise is a signal of distance, not influence.
- Federal Crimes Are Not Resolved in State Government Houses
Nnamdi Kanu is being prosecuted under federal laws, before a federal court, by the federal executive.
No governor — not from Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, nor Imo — has the constitutional authority to negotiate or interfere in:
Federal charges
DSS custody
High-profile national security trials
Even the Supreme Court, in AG Federation v. AG Lagos (2004), affirmed that states cannot intervene in federal security prosecutions. So the idea that any governor can “negotiate Kanu’s acquittal” misunderstands the structure of Nigeria’s federation.
- The Only Southeast Leader With Leverage Over Kanu’s Fate
Let us speak truth:
The one man from the Southeast who stands closest to President Tinubu — politically, institutionally, and strategically — is Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Same party (APC)
Same leadership caucus
Direct access to Villa decision-making
Part of the ruling coalition that influences security policy
Governors can lobby, plead or appeal, but only federal actors in the APC-led government can truly influence what happens to Nnamdi Kanu.
So when we pretend that the burden rests on governors, we are avoiding the hard truth.
- If Benjamin Kalu Wants to Be the “Abia Hero,” There Is Only One Path
History is very clear.
Obasanjo was not pardoned; he was acquitted by Justice Benedict Okadigbo in 1998.
Major Al-Mustapha, after years of detention, was acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2013.
Asari Dokubo was discharged in 2007 after a legal resolution, not a political pardon.
Even Ken Saro-Wiwa’s family continues to push for state exoneration, not pardon.
No proud man accepts a pardon for a crime he insists he did not commit.
And Nnamdi Kanu has always maintained innocence.
**A pardon implies guilt.
An acquittal restores dignity.**
If Benjamin Kalu wants to be remembered — not as a talker but as a statesman — he must deliver acquittal, not pardon.
That is what shows influence, not media optics.
- The Kenyan Court Has Already Done Half the Work
Let us not forget:
June 2023 & 2025 — Kenyan High Court ruled Kanu’s abduction and rendition illegal.
Awarded 10 million shillings as damages.
(Source: Vanguard, Daily Post, The Whistler)
This strengthens his case domestically.
A confident federal lawmaker who claims to love Igboland should use:
international illegality rulings
constitutional defects in the trial
Court of Appeal’s 2022 discharge order
…to secure full acquittal.
Not a political pardon.
- Silence Does Not Signal Weakness — But Strategy
In matters of high federal sensitivity:
Noise is a sign of distance
Silence is a sign of calculation
History shows this:
Mbakwe often remained silent while negotiating behind closed doors.
Samuel Onunaka Mbakwe changed federal decisions without issuing press statements.
Ekwueme’s quiet diplomacy achieved more than many loud activists.
Loudness on federal criminal matters is not courage — it is powerlessness disguised as activism.
- The Real Question Is for Benjamin Kalu, Not Any Governor
If Benjamin Kalu is truly “our son in power,” then let him show power where it matters:
Secure acquittal, not pardon
Reverse the illegal rendition
Uphold the Court of Appeal judgment
Stop any attempt to transfer Kanu out of jurisdiction
That is leadership.
That is influence.
That is how to earn respect in Ala Igbo.
- Kanu Must Be Acquitted — Because Anything Else Is an Insult
IPOB supporters, neutral observers, human rights groups and the Kenyan judiciary all agree:
Nnamdi Kanu deserves acquittal, not pardon.
A pardon is a political burial.
Acquittal is vindication.
Kanu is a proud soul — he cannot be sold cheap just because a politician wants a new talking point for 2027.
Final Word
Nobody is trying to silence anyone.
Critics enrich democracy.
But let us place responsibility where the constitution places power.
The Southeast already has a man at the federal table.
If Benjamin Kalu wants the hero’s crown he keeps reaching for, then let him show strength where strength counts — in Abuja, not in radio soundbites.
Acquittal is the only honourable resolution.
Anything less is betrayal disguised as diplomacy.
AProf Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke
