The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has given the Nigerian government 14 days to address the appeal of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been convicted and is currently in detention. If the government does not act, IPOB threatens to boycott future elections in the Biafra region and beyond. In a statement, IPOB criticized the government for quickly convicting Kanu but being slow to handle his appeal. They questioned the legality of Kanu's conviction and continued detention, asking what laws justified these actions. They also mentioned that there is an ongoing challenge at the Supreme Court regarding the continuation of Kanu’s trial after some charges were dropped. IPOB stated that if the government does not either release Kanu or defend his conviction in court, they will proceed with the election boycott. They clarified that they did not call for a boycott in the 2023 elections, where their supporters participated, but they felt the results were unfair and the legal challenges were unsuccessful. The group sees the boycott as a way to express their loss of trust in the electoral process and urged those against the boycott to focus on getting Kanu’s appeal heard. They emphasized that the government has two choices: release Kanu or face legal scrutiny regarding his conviction.
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