Otti Pushes Dialogue-Based Strategy After Kanu’s Life Sentence Deepens Public Grief

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has expressed concern over the deep public distress following the life imprisonment of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that the judgment does not foreclose non-judicial solutions to the crisis.

Otti said the situation had left many in Abia and beyond “broken,” arguing that the IPOB matter escalated because it was mishandled in its early stages.

He stressed that the problem must not be allowed to linger or assume “a monstrous dimension.”

The governor, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, recalled his longstanding opposition to the military operation carried out in Kanu’s family home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, in 2017.

He said he had publicly criticised the raid as excessive and advocated dialogue as a more sustainable conflict-management tool.

He referenced his September 25, 2017 column titled Operation Python Dance: Killing a Fly with a Sledgehammer, noting that he had earlier warned that forceful tactics would inflame tensions rather than resolve them.

“Leadership demands emotional intelligence, restraint and tolerance, rather than force and violence,” Otti said. “The poor management of the IPOB issue at the incubation stage created the problem we have today.”

The governor disclosed that he had initiated quiet engagements with federal authorities since December 2023 to pursue an alternative resolution framework. He said those discussions yielded commitments that were tied to the conclusion of the Federal High Court proceedings.

“Now that judgment has been delivered, the alternative resolution will kick in,” he said, adding that he had discussed the plan with Kanu during a visit to him in DSS custody earlier in the year.

Otti confirmed that he is continuing those negotiations and is open to working with other Nigerians who genuinely seek a peaceful settlement.

He urged residents to avoid actions or rhetoric that could jeopardise the delicate engagements underway.

“With the assurances I have received from the federal government, a resolution is in sight and Mazi Kanu will receive his freedom,” he said.

He also cautioned political actors against exploiting the situation for partisan gain, urging them instead to support efforts aimed at securing Kanu’s release.

Otti reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing dialogue, diplomacy and high-level engagement to restore peace in the South-East.