IPOB Gives FG 14 Days To Hear Kanu’s Appeal Or Face Election Boycott

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over the pending appeal of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The group wants the Court of Appeal to list and hear Kanu’s appeal within the period.

IPOB warned that failure to do so could lead to a boycott of the 2027 general election in the South-East and other areas it considers part of Biafraland.

The ultimatum was issued by Mazi Chris Nwaogu, Head of the Directorate of State of IPOB, in a video broadcast on Monday.

Nwaogu accused the Federal Government of failing to take the necessary steps to move the appeal forward.

He specifically alleged that the government had not filed its respondent’s brief and had not taken steps to have the matter listed before the appellate court.

“The federal government has not filed a Respondent’s brief, they have not listed the appeal, they have not come to court,” Nwaogu said.

He said IPOB would be forced to reconsider its position on electoral participation if the appeal remained unattended to after the 14-day period.

“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,” he said.

The threat comes at a time when Kanu’s legal battle has again attracted attention following complaints from his family and legal team over delays in the appellate process.

Kanu was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025 on seven terrorism-related counts.

Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on several of the counts, while other prison terms were imposed on the remaining charges.

The IPOB leader has since challenged the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

His legal team filed a notice of appeal in February 2026, seeking to overturn the conviction and sentences imposed by the trial court.

The appeal became the main legal avenue available to Kanu after the conclusion of the Federal High Court proceedings.

In April, his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, explained that the record of appeal had been transmitted to the Court of Appeal and that the case would proceed through the normal appellate process involving written briefs from both sides before a hearing.

The defence later filed Kanu’s appellant’s brief.

However, Ejimakor subsequently accused the Federal Government of delaying the process by failing to file its response within the expected period.

In August, the lawyer urged the Court of Appeal to fix a date for Kanu’s bail application instead of waiting indefinitely for the government’s brief.

“On this #XTuesday for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I respectfully request the Court of Appeal to set a near date to consider his bail application,” Ejimakor said at the time.

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.

The latest IPOB ultimatum is therefore coming against the background of an already prolonged legal dispute over Kanu’s detention and conviction.

Kanu’s family has also raised concerns about the pace of the proceedings.

The family recently disclosed that Kanu had written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal, asking that his pending matters be listed for hearing.

The request was said to have been prompted by the continued delay surrounding his appeal, bail application and other legal proceedings.

Nwaogu, however, went beyond the issue of delay and questioned the legal basis of some aspects of the proceedings against Kanu.

He criticised the Supreme Court’s earlier decision to set aside the Court of Appeal judgment which had discharged and acquitted Kanu and ordered that the matter be returned for further proceedings.

The IPOB official argued that the Supreme Court could not, in his interpretation of the judgment, revive charges which he claimed had already been extinguished.

He also questioned the position of the apex court on the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear some of the charges against Kanu.

Nwaogu maintained that a remittal order could not, in his view, restore charges that had already been quashed.

“A court can declare jurisdiction that already exists, 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,” he said.

He further alleged that Kanu remained in custody because of concerns over his political influence.

“They fear a free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. 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,” Nwaogu added.

The Federal Government has not publicly responded to the latest 14-day ultimatum in the material available for this report.

Kanu’s case has remained one of the most politically sensitive legal matters in the country, particularly in the South-East.

His detention and prosecution have continued to generate calls from different groups for a political solution.

There have also been renewed activities by Kanu’s supporters in the region.

Earlier in August, residents of Afaraukwu in Abia State staged a peaceful demonstration demanding his release.

The protesters marched through parts of the community and expressed support for the detained IPOB leader.

The development came amid renewed calls by some political and community leaders for the Federal Government to consider a resolution outside the courtroom.

The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has previously said he was engaging President Bola Tinubu on the issue and expressed optimism that Kanu could eventually regain his freedom.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has also previously appealed to the President to consider Kanu’s release, arguing that resolving the matter could contribute to peace and security in the South-East.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government recently withdrew its cross-appeal seeking the death penalty against Kanu.

Nnamdi Kanu Lawyer Ejimakor

Kanu’s counsel, Ejimakor, disclosed in August that the government had formally communicated its decision not to pursue that aspect of the case.

The withdrawal means that the Federal Government is no longer seeking to replace Kanu’s life sentence with the death penalty through its cross-appeal.

Nonetheless, the group has not said that an election boycott has already been adopted.

Instead, Nwaogu said the organisation would consider the option if the appeal was not listed within the 14-day period.

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