By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Sowore: South-East Politicians in Nigeria Blocking Nnamdi Kanu’s Release to Save Their Careers
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused some politicians from Nigeria’s South-East of secretly frustrating the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), out of fear that his freedom could undermine their political ambitions.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Thursday, Sowore said conversations dating back to the early days of President Bola Tinubu’s administration revealed that some political figures in the region opposed Kanu’s release because they believed it could alter election outcomes in states such as Imo and threaten their future in office.
“I once declared that Kanu’s ordeal is as a result of some persons in the South-East who took a decision that his release would jeopardize their political careers and future. I know this as far back as when Tinubu freshly became president,” Sowore said.
Sowore, who is also the founder of Sahara Reporters, disclosed that he reached out to South-East leaders including Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra, Governor Alex Otti of Abia, and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, but received little or no response.
He however praised Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe for his courage, recalling that Abaribe had suffered politically for standing as Kanu’s surety in the past.
The activist expressed disappointment that while many young Nigerians have rallied behind the call for Kanu’s freedom, there remains no unified stance among the South-East’s political, religious, and traditional elites. He accused the federal government of exploiting these internal divisions to justify keeping Kanu in custody.
“There’s still no collective voice from the South-East,” Sowore said. “Ordinary citizens are demanding justice, but their leaders remain divided and hesitant.”
Nnamdi Kanu, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) — a separatist group pushing for an independent Biafran state in Nigeria’s South-East.
He was first arrested in 2015 on charges of treasonable felony and inciting secession, sparking mass protests across the region. After being granted bail in 2017, Kanu fled Nigeria following a military raid on his Abia home.
In June 2021, Kanu was rearrested in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria, a move his lawyers described as extraordinary rendition, which violated international law. Since then, he has been held in the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja, facing seven terrorism-related charges, despite multiple court orders granting him bail.
His prolonged detention has drawn criticism from rights groups, politicians, and international observers, who view the case as a test of Nigeria’s respect for the rule of law.
The issue has also exposed deep political fractures in the South-East, with many regional elites accused of putting personal ambitions above a collective push for justice.
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