Olu Allen
History loves to repeat itself, sometimes as drama, sometimes as defiance.
When Nnamdi Kanu announced in court that he would represent himself, memories flickered of another man who once dismissed his lawyers and stood alone before the Nigerian state, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
The parallel is tempting: both intellectuals, both accused of treasonable felony, both convinced that the system was rigged against them. But are they truly twins of destiny, or just echoes in different times?
The Charges: Power vs the State
In 1962, Awolowo was dragged before a federal court, accused of plotting to overthrow the Balewa government.
Six decades later, Kanu stands before a similar court, accused of challenging the very idea of Nigeria itself.
One sought to reform the federation; the other dreams to dissolve it entirely.
Both men’s trials are not just legal, they are political theatre, with the Nigerian state as both judge and actor.
The Lawyer and the Rebel
Awolowo was a barrister of the Inner Temple, refined, measured, deliberate.
He stood in court like a scholar defending his dissertation, quoting law reports and British precedents.
Kanu, on the other hand, is not a practising lawyer but a man schooled by conviction. His courtroom energy is fiery, defiant, emotional, designed to ignite movements, not footnotes.
When Awolowo spoke, he educated.
When Kanu speaks, he agitates.
One aimed to win the argument; the other, to win the crowd.
Courts and Contexts
Awolowo’s courtroom was open, and his trial read like a national textbook on politics.
Kanu’s courtroom is guarded by “national security,” the proceedings, a fog of adjournments and whispers.
Both trials happened under governments accused of weaponising the judiciary to silence dissent.
The difference? Awolowo worked within Nigeria’s legal framework; Kanu questions the legitimacy of that framework itself.
Symbols, Not Just Defendants
Awolowo became a symbol of intellectual resistance, the mind that could not be jailed.
Kanu has become a symbol of ethnic frustration, the voice that will not be silenced.
To his admirers, Awolowo was the philosopher-king; to his enemies, an ambitious conspirator.
To his followers, Kanu is the freedom prophet; to his critics, a reckless agitator.
In both men, we see what happens when conviction meets power: sparks, trials, and history.
The Verdict of Time
Awolowo lost the legal battle but won the moral war. He left prison to become a national statesman.
Kanu’s own verdict is still being written, in headlines, hashtags, and prison walls.
So, is Nnamdi Kanu the new Awolowo?
Perhaps not.
Awolowo was a constitutional revolutionary; Kanu is a rebellious separatist.
Yet both share one dangerous similarity: the courage to stand alone before the state and say, “I will speak for myself.”
In a country where truth often needs permission to be heard, that alone is revolutionary.
Olu Allen is a Nigerian writer and commentator on politics, history, and society. He writes from Kano and can be reached via mrallenolu@gmail.com
