The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to ensure the immediate listing and hearing of Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal, threatening to mobilise for a boycott of the 2027 general election across the South-East and other parts of what it describes as “Biafraland.”

The threat escalates tensions over the continued detention of Kanu, the separatist group’s leader, whose appeal against his conviction and life sentence has yet to be heard.

IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, issued the ultimatum yesterday in a statement following renewed concerns by Kanu’s family over what it described as delays in the judicial process.

According to Powerful, Kanu has written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal, demanding the immediate listing and hearing of his pending appeal.

IPOB accused the Federal Government of showing urgency in prosecuting and convicting Kanu but failing to demonstrate the same commitment to defending the conviction before the Court of Appeal.

The group warned that failure to act within 14 days could trigger a campaign to persuade voters across the South-East and other parts of “Biafraland” to stay away from the 2027 elections.

“IPOB is giving the Federal Government 14 days to list and hear Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal. If they refuse, we will consider boycotting the coming elections across Biafraland and beyond,” Powerful said.

He added that the Federal Government had neither filed its respondent’s brief nor listed the appeal, describing the situation as evidence of what IPOB considers a lack of commitment to defending Kanu’s conviction.

“The Federal Government was in a hurry to prosecute and convict Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Now that the conviction is before the Court of Appeal, that same urgency has disappeared,” the statement said.

IPOB also questioned the legal basis for Kanu’s conviction and continued detention.

“Nigeria must answer two simple questions: Under which extant written law was Mazi Nnamdi Kanu convicted on November 20, 2025? What specific crime, cognisable under Nigerian law, justifies his continued detention after nearly six years?” the group asked.

IPOB ATTACKS SUPREME COURT RULING

The separatist group also renewed its criticism of the Supreme Court’s decision which overturned Kanu’s discharge and acquittal by the Court of Appeal.

IPOB alleged that the apex court exceeded its constitutional powers by pronouncing on individual counts that had already been quashed by the Court of Appeal.

The group insisted that the Federal Government must now defend not only Kanu’s conviction but also the jurisdictional basis for the resumed trial.

The fresh threat comes as political parties and candidates begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections, with the South-East expected to remain a major battleground over voter mobilisation and political participation.

IPOB, however, argued that calls for an election boycott should not automatically be interpreted as an invitation to rig elections.

It maintained that a collective decision by voters to stay away from the polls could itself constitute a political statement.

“At some point, people must ask whether repeatedly participating in a process they believe is structurally incapable of delivering justice is itself the definition of political progress,” the statement said.

“A collective refusal to participate sends its own message: a people have withdrawn their consent from a system they no longer trust.”

The Federal Government had yet to publicly respond to the latest ultimatum as of the time of filing this report.

The development adds a fresh political dimension to Kanu’s prolonged legal battle, with IPOB now linking the resolution of his appeal directly to participation in the 2027 elections across the South-East.