Diaspora Group Criticizes Kalu Over Support for IPOB Leader’s Life Sentence

A diaspora advocacy group has strongly condemned Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, over remarks interpreted as support for the life sentence handed to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu by Justice James Omotosho.

In an interview, Kalu suggested the Igbo community was being overly sentimental regarding the verdict and referenced deaths linked to the Biafra agitation, drawing sharp criticism from the Rising Sun Group, which operates from the United States.

The group accused Kalu of attempting to use the situation to gain political favor, describing his comments as “shameless” and “reckless.” They urged the senator to refrain from politicizing Kanu’s legal battle.

Rising Sun highlighted that Kalu’s comparison of his own trial for financial crimes to Kanu’s legal proceedings was inappropriate, insisting there was no parallel between the two cases.

The diaspora group also questioned Kalu’s claims of having helped secure Kanu’s release in 2017, labeling them as self-serving and dismissive of the Igbo community’s sentiments.

Further, Rising Sun criticized Kalu’s attempt to link Kanu’s courtroom conduct to alleged irresponsibility, stating that he failed to acknowledge the context of the charges and alleged injustices Kanu faced.

The group warned the senator and other political figures against exploiting Kanu’s situation for personal gain, asserting that Ndigbo would not tolerate attempts to use the trial for political leverage.

Rising Sun concluded by stating that history would judge those who betray their people for selfish political ambitions, emphasizing that Kalu’s recent statements only confirmed suspicions of opportunism among some elite figures.