Nnamdi Kanu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, threatening to boycott the 2027 general elections across the South-East and other parts of what it calls “Biafraland” if the appeal of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is not listed and heard.
The warning was first delivered in a video statement on Monday, August 31, 2026, by IPOB’s Head of Directorate of State, Mazi Chris Nwaogu (also referred to in some reports as Chris Nwangu), and later reinforced in a formal statement by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Tuesday, September 1.
Nwaogu accused the Federal Government of deliberately delaying proceedings after swiftly securing 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. A country that rushed to convict is now too frightened to defend the conviction,” he said.
He added: “We are giving them 14 days to list Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal. 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.”
Kanu, who is serving a life sentence in Sokoto after his conviction on terrorism-related charges in November 2025 by the Federal High Court in Abuja, filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja on February 4, 2026, seeking to quash the conviction and sentence. He was handed life imprisonment on several counts, with additional terms of 20 years and five years on others.
Kanu’s family had recently raised concerns over the prolonged delay, revealing that he had written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal requesting the immediate listing and hearing of his pending cases.
In its statement, IPOB questioned the legal basis of the conviction, asking under which existing Nigerian law Kanu was convicted and what specific crime justified his continued detention after nearly six years. The group argued that a collective refusal to participate in the elections would send a strong political message of withdrawn consent from a system it no longer trusts.
As of Tuesday, September 1, 2026, there has been no immediate public response from the Federal Government or the Court of Appeal to the ultimatum. The development comes amid ongoing tensions surrounding Kanu’s case, which has remained a sensitive political and security issue in the South-East.
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