2027: Release Kanu or Forget Igbo Votes, Youths Tell Tinubu

Igbo youths under the umbrella of the All Igbo Youth Forum have issued a strong warning to President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that their support in the 2027 general elections is conditional upon the immediate and unconditional release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The group made the declaration during a press conference and solidarity gathering held at Awka Hall in Umuahia, Abia State, where they also celebrated Kanu’s recent legal victory in Kenya.

Speaking at the event, the President General of the Forum, Chinedum Obilor, a former Deputy Chairman of Umuahia North Local Government Area, warned the Federal Government against banking on political endorsements from Southeast elites.

“Mr. President should not be deceived by empty assurances from Igbo political leaders,” Obilor said.

“We, the youths, are in charge of Igbo land, not the senators, not the governors. If you release Kanu, you don’t need to give us rice or money to vote for you. But if you don’t, we will align with anyone who is willing to release him, regardless of tribe.”

The gathering, which drew over 600 youths from across the five southeastern states, spilt into the streets with chants of solidarity and jubilation over the recent ruling by a Kenyan High Court on Kanu’s controversial extradition.

On June 26, Justice E. C. Mwita of the Nairobi High Court declared Kanu’s 2021 arrest and extradition from Kenya to Nigeria as “illegal, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of his fundamental human rights.”

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The court also awarded the IPOB leader 10 million Kenyan shillings in damages.

Describing the judgment as “historic,” the youths said it vindicated Kanu and further justified their longstanding demand for his release.

Obilor did not mince words in accusing Southeast politicians of misleading the presidency about the region’s political mood.

“Our governors and lawmakers are deceiving you. They claim to have control, but they don’t. Come and work with the youths, or what happened in the last election will happen again,” he warned.

He stressed that previous appeals from elder statesmen such as Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and the late Chief Mbazulike Amaechi were ignored, but this time, it is the youth speaking directly.

The group also issued a stern warning to Southeast politicians, cautioning them against using Nnamdi Kanu’s name as a campaign tool without actively pushing for his release.

“We are warning our political leaders to stop using Kanu’s name to play politics. That era is over. They hold our mandate, and we can use our votes to take it back,” Obilor declared.

The group’s message adds a new layer to the political dynamics ahead of 2027, placing Kanu’s continued detention at the centre of Southeast political engagement with the Tinubu-led administration.