By Gabriel Atumeyi
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has threatened to boycott the 2027 general election in the South-East and other areas it considers part of Biafraland if the Federal Government fails to ensure the listing and hearing of the appeal filed by its convicted leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOB’s Head of Directorate of State, Mazi Chris Nwaogu, issued the ultimatum in a video broadcast on Monday. He accused the Federal Government of deliberately delaying the appellate proceedings after moving swiftly to secure Kanu’s conviction.
“The Federal Government has not filed a Respondent’s brief, they have not listed the appeal, they have not come to court,” Nwaogu said. “A country that rushed to convict is now too frightened to defend the conviction.”
He warned that IPOB would consider mobilising for a boycott if the government failed to act within the stipulated period.
“We are giving them 14 days to list Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal,” Nwaogu stated. “If they refuse, we will consider boycotting the coming elections across Biafraland and beyond. A government that cannot face its Court of Appeal has no right to demand our votes.”
The ultimatum comes amid renewed concerns by Kanu’s family over the delay in hearing his appeal against the conviction and life sentence handed down by the Federal High Court, Abuja, in November 2025.
Justice James Omotosho had sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on several of the seven terrorism-related counts. Other prison terms were imposed on the remaining charges.
The family recently disclosed that Kanu had written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal. He requested the immediate listing and hearing of his pending cases.
According to the family, the request followed what it described as prolonged delays in proceedings concerning Kanu’s continued detention, conviction and life sentence.
Nwaogu also criticised the Supreme Court’s earlier decision which set aside the Court of Appeal judgment that had discharged and acquitted Kanu. The apex court had remitted the matter for further proceedings.
He particularly faulted the judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba. He insisted that the apex court exceeded its constitutional powers by pronouncing on individual counts that had already been quashed by the Court of Appeal.
“Justice Lawal Garba, JSC, crossed a line that the Constitution does not allow. This is the heart of the matter,” Nwaogu argued.
He maintained that a remittal order could not revive charges that had already been extinguished.
“A court can declare jurisdiction that already exists,” he said. “It cannot manufacture jurisdiction that has ceased to exist. An order of remittal can send a living case to a court. It cannot by itself raise a dead count from the grave and make it triable.”
Nwaogu further alleged that Kanu remained in custody because of concerns over his political influence.
“They fear a free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he said. “They fear his influence. They fear a man who will not trade Biafra. So they keep him in Sokoto and hide from their own court. In 14 days, list the appeal, hear it, defend it if you can.”
Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, had earlier accused the Federal Government of delaying the process by failing to file its response within the expected period.
Ejimakor had previously urged the Court of Appeal to fix a date for Kanu’s bail application instead of waiting indefinitely for the government’s brief.
He argued that the government’s failure to file its brief should not prevent the court from considering the separate application for bail pending the determination of the appeal.
IPOB also defended the proposed boycott against criticism that it could benefit the administration. The group argued that a collective refusal to participate would send its own message.
The group said it did not call for an election boycott in 2023. It added that its supporters participated in the election. It argued that despite the participation, the 2023 election results were disputed and subsequent legal challenges were unsuccessful.
“At some point, people must ask whether repeatedly participating in a process they believe is structurally incapable of delivering justice is itself the definition of political progress,” IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said in a separate statement. “A collective refusal to participate sends its own message: a people have withdrawn their consent from a system they no longer trust.”
IPOB said the government had two options: release Kanu or appear in court to defend his conviction and the legal basis of his trial.
Kanu’s case has remained one of the most politically sensitive legal matters in the country. His detention and prosecution have continued to generate calls from different groups for a political solution.
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