“No Kanu, No 2027” — Igbo Youth Forum Threatens Election Boycott Over IPOB Leader’s Detention

The All Igbo Youth Forum (ALYF) has issued a stern warning to the federal government, threatening to mobilize millions of Igbo youths to boycott the 2027 general elections if Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is not released.

Nnamdi Kanu has been in detention since June 2021 after being extradited from Kenya. He is currently facing a seven-count charge bordering on treasonable felony, brought against him by the federal government. Despite growing calls for his release, the legal proceedings against him have continued.

Following a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, ALYF President Chinedu Obilor announced that the group would temporarily suspend its planned protest. He said Kalu had assured them that discussions regarding Kanu’s release were ongoing with President Bola Tinubu.

“We believe the president will listen to the cry of Ndigbo and release Kanu,” Obilor stated. “They cannot leave Nnamdi Kanu and be talking of 2027. If they fail, we will march 10 million strong to Abuja and dare them to jail us all.”

Obilor also criticized the continued detention of Kanu while other agitators and terrorists have been granted freedom, calling it a double standard. He gave Kalu a two-month ultimatum to ensure the president addresses the group’s demand, warning that they would not participate in the 2027 elections otherwise.

The ALYF president further condemned what he described as the political marginalization of the Igbo people, particularly in recent federal appointments. He expressed frustration over what he sees as deliberate exclusion, saying, “How can we say we’re one Nigeria when Igbo people are always excluded?”

Obilor also took aim at some Igbo political leaders, accusing them of working against Kanu’s release and misleading the president. He urged President Tinubu to listen to the voices of the youth rather than the elite, whom he claimed lack grassroots support.

The controversy surrounding Kanu’s continued detention has drawn diverse opinions from political figures. On July 5, Minister of Works David Umahi argued that Kanu’s release should not be made a political condition for the south-east’s support of Tinubu in 2027. Umahi insisted that Tinubu is not responsible for Kanu’s detention and said his release would come through “divine grace and dialogue,” not political pressure.

Umahi also rejected allegations that the president is sidelining the south-east in federal appointments and infrastructure development, maintaining that the region remains a priority for the administration.