Umahi Does Not Speak for Ndigbo — Kanu’s Freedom Not a Political Bargaining Chip, Says Nwachukwu
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A Public Affairs Commentator and Advocate for Justice, Chijioke Nwachukwu, has strongly condemned recent remarks credited to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, regarding the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In a statement issued on Saturday, July 6, 2025, Nwachukwu dismissed Umahi’s comments as “deeply offensive” and accused the minister of attempting to reduce a fundamental human rights issue to a tool for political negotiation.
The statement followed a report by Daily Post Nigeria published on July 5, in which Umahi reportedly suggested that the release of Kanu should not be linked to political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s potential 2027 re-election bid.
“Let it be stated in unequivocal terms: Dave Umahi does not speak for Ndigbo. He speaks only for himself and the selfish collection of political opportunists that have, for decades, traded the blood, dignity, and future of their own people for personal advancement and crumbs from Aso Rock,” Nwachukwu said.
He stressed that Kanu’s detention, which multiple courts have ruled illegal, is not a matter of political calculus but of justice and the rule of law.
Citing the October 2022 decision of the Court of Appeal, the June 2025 ruling by a Kenyan High Court, and a Federal High Court decision in Nigeria, Nwachukwu emphasized that Kanu’s arrest and rendition from Kenya were unlawful and that his continued detention defies legal precedent.
“For Dave Umahi to suggest that the political support of Ndigbo in 2027 is in any way conditional on Kanu’s release reveals either an unforgivable ignorance of public sentiment in the South East or a wilful attempt to whitewash the grave injustice done to the Igbo people,” the statement continued. “Tinubu and APC will face the consequences of the lengthy detention of Kanu without trial and for ignoring court orders that mandated his release.”
Nwachukwu accused Umahi of gross political opportunism, describing him as a “rent boy of Aso Rock” and challenging him to hold a town hall in any major southeastern city such as Enugu, Aba, or Onitsha to test his grassroots relevance. He asserted that any such event would be met with overwhelming rejection.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu commands a following rooted in the deep-seated grievance of a people marginalized, violated, and silenced by a dishonest federation. To compare or reduce him to a political bargaining chip is an insult to the collective pain and resilience of Ndigbo and Biafrans all over the world,” Nwachukwu declared.
The fiery statement concluded with a warning to political figures who, in his words, “change allegiance depending on who occupies Aso Rock,” stating that the time of trading justice for patronage is over.
“This moment calls for courage, not cowardice; honour, not servility. Kanu’s release is not a gift to be given in exchange for votes. It is a legal, moral, and constitutional obligation,” he said. “Ndigbo are watching. The world is watching. And history will not be kind to traitors.”
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