By John Umeh
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has thrown his weight behind activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in the campaign for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Sowore, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, challenged top political figures from the South-East and beyond — including Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo — to move beyond rhetoric and join a march to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“I challenge every politician or person of good conscience from the Southeast who says they want Nnamdi Kanu released to stop the rhetoric. Time for action is now. Let’s march to Aso Rock Villa,” Sowore declared, while stressing that he was ready to set aside political differences for this singular cause.
Reacting on Thursday, Atiku described Kanu’s prolonged detention as a national disgrace. “The continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu remains an open sore on our nation’s conscience and a stain on our belief in the rule of law. Defying court orders that granted him bail is an abuse of power and an assault on justice,” Atiku wrote.
He added: “I, therefore, lend my voice in full support of the campaign led by Yele Sowore for his immediate release or due prosecution. We fail as patriots if we allow Kanu’s case to fester as yet another wound this nation refuses to heal.”
Meanwhile, Sowore announced that the protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, will hold on October 20 at 7 a.m., beginning at the gates of Aso Rock Villa.
This comes as Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, adjourned Kanu’s trial on terrorism-related charges to October 16, pending a medical evaluation by a panel set up by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, has been in detention since June 2021 after his arrest in Kenya and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria. He was first arrested in October 2015 and has faced multiple charges, including terrorism, treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society, and illegal possession of firearms.
