Soludo: Respect rule of law, release Chude, Obi reacts to supporter’s arrest

Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate for the 2023 election, has condemned the arrest of Nnamdi Chude, an ardent party supporter.

Obi asserted in a series of tweets published Tuesday that Chude’s arrest is further evidence of Nigeria’s inability to respect the rule of law.

This follows reports circulating on social media that the Anambra Police Command arrested Chude on March 18 for tweeting against the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

Saturday, Chude tweeted that Soludo’s political party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was involved in the rigging of the election for the House of Assembly.

APGA thugs are on the loose in Trans-Nkisi, 3’3, and Awada, stealing ballot boxes.

LP is winning handily throughout Anambra

I cannot recall the most recent time I heard of ballot box theft in Anambra. This is the pinnacle of it all. @CCSoludo has taken us back to Mbadinauju’s era.

— Chudé (@chude__) March 18, 2023

Concerned Nigerians have since called for Soludo’s immediate release, despite his denial of involvement in the arrest of the LP supporter.

Obi appealed to all parties involved to treat the issue objectively in accordance with the rule of law and to release Chude with compassion.

“After conducting exhaustive research, I regret to report that Mr. Nnamdi Chude’s arrest is further evidence of Nigeria’s poor and deteriorating performance in terms of the Rule of Law, Voice and Accountability, and other governance indicators.

“While I recognize that freedoms must be exercised in accordance with the rule of law, arresting Nigerians for tweeting about their leaders and those in authority destroys the opportunity for inclusive governance and accountability, which are crucial in a developing nation like Nigeria.

“Therefore, I implore all parties involved to treat the situation with the utmost objectivity in accordance with the rule of law and to compassionately release the young man in question. He tweeted, “God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The arrest of Mr. Nnamdi @chude__ is a further confirmation of Nigeria’s poor and deteriorating performance on the Rule of Law, Voice and Accountability, and other governance indicators, I regret to report.    — Peter Obi (@PeterObi) March 21, 2023

(TNT)