IPOB ANNOUNCES APC BOYCOTT AHEAD OF 2027 ELECTIONS OVER NNAMDI KANU’S APPEAL

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By: Muftau Fatimo

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced an immediate boycott of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections over the continued failure to list an appeal filed by its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, challenging his conviction on terrorism charges.

The decision was announced on Sunday by the Head of IPOB’s Directorate of State (DOS), Mazi Chris Nwaogu, who said the organisation’s political disengagement would begin with the ruling party.

IPOB had earlier threatened to boycott the 2027 general elections in the South-East if Kanu’s appeal was not listed and heard. However, Nwaogu clarified that the immediate directive specifically targets the APC, while the group’s position on a possible total election boycott remains unchanged.

In his address, Nwaogu said the decision was a response to what he described as systemic injustice and the alleged manipulation of the judicial process to keep Kanu in detention.

He maintained that IPOB remained committed to strategic non-partisanship and was not seeking to benefit any political party through the boycott.

According to him, those allegedly advising President Bola Tinubu and the British government to withhold the listing of Kanu’s appeal in the hope of triggering a voter boycott in the South-East and South-South had miscalculated.

Nwaogu directed IPOB members and supporters to shun APC activities, including attending party rallies, displaying its flags and defending its governors.

He accused the ruling party of pursuing policies hostile to the Igbo people, citing Operation Python Dance, alleged extrajudicial killings, unlawful detentions and prosecutions as examples of what he described as the persecution of Biafrans.

The IPOB official also criticised Igbo politicians who support or campaign for the APC, arguing that their political alignment undermined the interests of the people.

Nwaogu reiterated that the immediate and unconditional release of Kanu remained the organisation’s primary objective, alongside what it described as the restoration of Biafra.

He also accused the Federal Government of deliberately undermining the judicial process to prolong Kanu’s detention.

According to him, two separate legal developments had raised concerns about the handling of Kanu’s cases.

He claimed that a fundamental rights suit concerning Kanu’s alleged unlawful detention came up for hearing at the Federal Capital Territory High Court approximately two weeks before his address, but the presiding judge reportedly announced that the court file was missing.

Nwaogu further alleged that the Court of Appeal had refused to list Kanu’s appeal challenging his conviction by Justice Omotosho on November 20, 2025, despite the compilation and transmission of the record of appeal.

He called on the judiciary to list the case and hear it in open court.

The IPOB directorate also dismissed reports suggesting that the enforcement of the weekly Monday sit-at-home order would resume across the South-East.

Nwaogu described an audio message circulating online announcing the purported return of the order as false and accused unnamed individuals linked to the APC-led government of attempting to create panic and destabilise the region.

He insisted that neither IPOB’s Directorate of State nor the High Command of the Eastern Security Network had authorised a renewed sit-at-home order.

The statement also criticised some Igbo political leaders for maintaining relationships with the APC, with Nwaogu citing Hope Uzodimma, Dave Umahi, Rochas Okorocha and Chukwuma Soludo in his remarks.

In another development, Nwaogu disclosed that IPOB’s legal team had identified 68 individuals it described as innocent Biafrans who were allegedly transferred from Wawa Barracks to correctional facilities in Kuje, Keffi and Suleja.

He said the organisation’s lawyers were working to secure their release.

The Nigerian government and the relevant judicial authorities were not quoted in the address responding to the allegations.