By Sandra Kenneth
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the immediate listing and hearing of the pending appeal of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, or face a total boycott of the 2027 general elections across the South-East region and beyond.
The threat was contained in an official press statement issued on Tuesday by IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful. According to the group, the decision follows heightened concerns raised by Kanu’s family over delays in hearing the appeal against his conviction and life sentence.
Powerful disclosed that Kanu has formally written to both the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal to demand an expedited hearing of his case. He accused federal authorities of deliberately stalling legal proceedings after rushing to secure a conviction.
“IPOB is giving the Federal Government 14 days to list and hear Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal,” the statement read. “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 group criticized the prosecution for failing to file its respondent’s brief, alleging that the government’s initial urgency to convict Kanu has vanished now that the matter is before the appellate court.
IPOB further challenged the legal grounds of Kanu’s continued detention, questioning the specific statutes under which he was convicted on November 20, 2025, and demanding clarification on the exact crimes justifying his nearly six-year incarceration.
Additionally, the movement faulted the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that set aside Kanu’s discharge and acquittal by the Court of Appeal, arguing that the apex court exceeded its constitutional mandate by ruling on counts previously quashed.
Dismissing concerns that a voter boycott would facilitate electoral manipulation, IPOB maintained that abstaining from the polls represents a deliberate withdrawal of public confidence in the judicial and political systems.
