The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned former presidential candidate Peter Obi over his reaction to the life sentence handed to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In a statement on Sunday, signed by Mogaji Seye Oladejo, the party’s spokesman, the APC accused Obi of politicising terrorism and attempting to cling to relevance.

Obi had described Kanu’s arrest, detention, and eventual sentencing as “unfortunate,” adding that the process reflected leadership gaps and might heighten tensions rather than reduce them.

The APC described Obi’s stance as hypocritical, noting that he has maintained silence on IPOB’s violent activities while pretending to advocate for justice.

The party questioned Obi’s inconsistency in condemning Boko Haram while seemingly defending IPOB. The APC urged Obi to stop using ethnic sentiments to justify terrorism and instead prioritise national security.

The party also criticised Obi for his perceived desperation to remain relevant, accusing him of attempting to resurrect his failed political career by speaking out on issues he previously ignored.

The APC emphasised that Nigeria’s national security is non-negotiable and that the Federal Government will handle matters of treason and terrorism with firmness and constitutional authority.

The party urged Nigerians to dismiss Obi’s statement as a desperate attempt to cling to relevance.

He said: “Obi’s attempt to ‘tackle’ the Federal Government and reject a valid court ruling is nothing more than the cry of a man whose political career is in its last embarrassing throes. He is desperately fishing in troubled waters, hoping to harvest sympathy that the Nigerian people have already denied him at the polls.

“The salient question that Peter Obi must answer is simple: Why the inconsistency in his position? How does he condemn Boko Haram and their ilk wholeheartedly in one breath, only to embrace, defend, and rationalise IPOB in another?

“This two-faced political morality exposes his deep-seated bias, his hollow rhetoric, and his desperate ambition disguised as compassion.

“We strongly recommend that Obi drop his ethnic blinders, read the judgment without emotions, and, in good conscience, return to Nigerians with the truth about his sincerity and his innermost desires for the nation he claims he wants to lead.

“There is nothing wrong in boldly admitting he is a regional champion committed to defending ‘his own’—for good or for bad. What is wrong, however, is deceiving Nigerians with feigned neutrality and hypocritical sermonising. Enough of the deceit. Enough of the pretense.

“Obi’s rant is a pathetic audition for 2027—another failed attempt to resurrect a political project that is now beyond resuscitation.

“He can rant from morning till night; national security will never be placed in the fragile hands of sentimentalists who only speak when their political calculators beep. Nigeria will not negotiate its sovereignty to please a man battling political menopause.”