Grace Adeleke
The Indigenous People of Biafra has given the Federal Government 14 days to ensure that the appeal against the conviction of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is listed and heard, threatening a total boycott of elections across the South-East and other parts of “Biafraland” if its demand is ignored.
IPOB issued the ultimatum in a statement on Tuesday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful.
The group accused the Federal Government of displaying urgency during Kanu’s prosecution and conviction but failing to demonstrate the same commitment in ensuring that his appeal is heard.
“IPOB therefore gives Nigeria fourteen days to list and hear Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal,” Powerful said.
Kanu was convicted on November 20, 2025, and remains in detention while legal challenges relating to his conviction and the proceedings against him continue.
IPOB questioned the legal foundation of the conviction and Kanu’s continued detention, demanding that the government explain the specific offence for which he remains incarcerated.
The group asked: “Under which extant written law was Mazi Nnamdi Kanu convicted on 20 November 2025? What specific crime, cognisable under Nigerian law, justifies his continued detention after nearly six years?”
It also challenged the legal basis for the continuation of Kanu’s criminal proceedings after the case was remitted, arguing that a terminated proceeding could not simply be revived by describing it as a continuation.
According to IPOB, a court’s inherent power to entertain an appeal does not extend to creating subject-matter jurisdiction where none exists under the Constitution or an Act of the National Assembly.
The group said a separate legal challenge concerning the alleged continuation of Kanu’s trial is before the Supreme Court.
IPOB maintained that the Federal Government must either justify Kanu’s conviction and continued detention in court or release him.
“The choice is simple: Release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Or: Come to court and defend what you have done. FOURTEEN DAYS,” it said.
Election boycott threat
The pro-Biafra group warned that failure to list and hear Kanu’s appeal within the 14-day deadline would lead it to call for a total boycott of forthcoming elections across the South-East and beyond.
IPOB said the proposed boycott should not be interpreted merely as an electoral strategy or as an attempt to favour any political party or candidate.
It argued that it did not call for an election boycott during the 2023 general elections, adding that voters participated while disputed results were subsequently challenged through the courts.
“In 2023, IPOB did not call for a boycott. We remained neutral. People participated fully. What happened? The election was disputed. The aggrieved went to court. The courts upheld the result. Life continued,” the group said.
IPOB argued that participation in elections alone could not be regarded as a guarantee against electoral malpractice or ensure that voters’ grievances would be resolved.
It said the proposed boycott would instead represent what it described as a collective withdrawal of confidence from a political system it considers incapable of delivering justice.
The group also rejected the argument that an election boycott could indirectly benefit President Bola Tinubu or other political interests.
It said Nigerians should instead direct their pressure towards the Federal Government to ensure that Kanu’s appeal is promptly heard.
“Stop arguing about a boycott Nigeria can still prevent. Direct that energy at Abuja. List the appeal. Hear the appeal. Defend the conviction,” IPOB said.
The organisation described the electoral process as a cycle involving voting, allegations of irregularities, litigation and waiting for another election.
It said the threatened boycott was therefore intended as a political statement rather than an admission of political weakness.
IPOB concluded its ultimatum by demanding answers to three questions concerning Kanu’s case: the law under which he was convicted, the cognisable offence for which he remains detained and the legal basis for continuing a proceeding it claims had already been terminated.
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