List Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal in 14 days or we boycott 2027 election

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has told the Nigerian government to list Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal within 14 days, or risk the boycott of the 2027 election in the South-East and other parts of ‘Biafraland’.

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

It will be recalled that Nnamdi Kanu’s family recently raised the alarm over the delay in hearing the IPOB leader’s appeal against his conviction. The family, while demanding the immediate hearing of the appeal, disclosed that Kanu had written the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, and the President of the Court of Appeal, requesting the immediate listing and hearing of his pending cases.

The family said Kanu’s request was prompted by prolonged delays in proceedings concerning his continued detention, conviction and life sentence.

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In the video seen by DAILY POST on Monday, IPOB head of Directorate of State, Nwaogu, accused the Nigerian government of running away from court after rushing to convict Kanu.

He said, “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.

“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.

“This judicial conspiracy through the trial court to the remittal and the present silence will shame the Chief Justice of Nigeria and all lawyers who still pretend this system is healthy. This case will either reset the Nigerian judiciary or expose it.”

Nwaogu in the same vein faulted the Supreme Court judgment which overturned Kanu’s discharge and acquital by the Court of Appeal.

The IPOB DOS head asserted that the apex court crossed a boundary not allowed by the Constitution in the judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba.

He said, “Justice Lawal Garba, JSC, crossed a line that the Constitution does not allow. This is the heart of the matter. The Supreme Court is entitled to correct the Court of Appeal if the court was wrong about the inherent competence of the trial court to keep sitting. It could say the Court of Appeal was wrong to say extraordinary rendition stripped the Federal Government of jurisdiction. This is an appellate correction that is within bounds.

“Justice Lawal Garba, JSC, did more than that. He went down the individual counts the Court of Appeal had already quashed and declared that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to try those particular counts. That is not a correction, that is an affirmative finding on subject matter jurisdiction on counts that had already died. Inherent jurisdiction is not subject matter justification.

“Correcting an error over whether the trial court still exists as a court does not give the Supreme Court the power to create, restore or confer jurisdiction over charges that had already been extinguished. The order of the Court of Appeal is set aside. If another trial is constitutionally possible, remit for retrial.

“That would have enabled any new proceedings to fall or to stand under the Constitution and the living statutes – instead the remittal order quashed the counts, pronounced them triable, vested the Federal High Court with jurisdiction over them and sent them back for continuation.

“A court can declare jurisdiction that already exist, 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. That is the boundary that was crossed.”

He claimed the Supreme Court acted a script in order to keep Kanu in detention.

“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.