The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has threatened to mobilise voters across the South-East and other parts of Nigeria against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election if he fails to secure the release of the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
The group warned that Tinubu risks suffering a major political defeat in the South-East if Kanu remains in prison during the election, insisting that the continued imprisonment of the IPOB leader could make it difficult for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure significant electoral support in the region.
The National President-General of OYC, Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, made the position known in a statement he issued on Friday, November 13, 2026, after an official visit to Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
OYC Says Kanu’s Popularity a Political Liability for Tinubu
Igboayaka described Kanu as one of the most influential political figures in the South-East, arguing that his popularity among the Igbo population, particularly young people, makes his continued incarceration a major political liability for the Tinubu administration.
He said that after the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Kanu has emerged as another Igbo figure who has won the hearts of many people in the region through his consistent agitation for what he described as the political survival of the South-East and South-South.
The OYC leader described it as a serious political miscalculation for Tinubu to expect substantial electoral support from the former Eastern Region in 2027 without addressing Kanu’s imprisonment.
According to him, releasing Kanu through a political solution would create an opportunity for national healing and reconciliation and could influence the willingness of people in the South-East to consider supporting Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He maintained that Kanu’s influence among Igbo youths and the wider population cannot be ignored by political leaders seeking electoral support in the region.
Group Warns South-East Governors Against Campaigning for Tinubu
Igboayaka also warned South-East governors and other prominent political figures against campaigning for Tinubu’s re-election while Kanu remains behind bars.
He specifically mentioned Governors Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Charles Soludo of Anambra State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State and Alex Otti of Abia State, alongside former Governor and Minister of Works, David Umahi.
According to him, the governors and other political stakeholders risk losing the support of their constituents if they openly canvass votes for Tinubu without first demanding Kanu’s release.
He argued that no political leader in the South-East currently commands the level of loyalty and political influence that Kanu enjoys among sections of the Igbo population.
OYC Urges Dialogue, Warns APC Stakeholders
The OYC president-general urged Tinubu to pursue national reintegration by addressing the grievances surrounding the agitation for Biafra self-determination through dialogue and negotiation rather than relying on court proceedings, intimidation, harassment and imprisonment.
He insisted that the agitation for self-determination could not be resolved through prolonged incarceration and called on the Federal Government to embrace political engagement as a means of resolving the crisis.
Issuing a direct warning to Tinubu and APC stakeholders in the South-East, Igboayaka said the group would mobilise opposition to the President’s re-election if Kanu remained incarcerated during the 2027 polls.
“There’s no going back in 2027,” he declared. “We therefore challenge Gov Hope Uzodimma, Gov Charles Soludo, Gov Francis Nwifuru, Gov Peter Mbah, Sen. David Nweze Umahi and other APC stakeholders that if Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains in prison during the election, Ndigbo all over the 36 States of Nigeria and the globe will teach Bola Ahmed Tinubu a hard political lesson at polling units across Nigeria.”
The threat comes amid continued political debate over Kanu’s imprisonment and calls by various groups for the Nigerian government to consider a political resolution to the protracted agitation for Biafra.
The OYC maintained that Kanu’s release would be a significant step towards reconciliation and restoring confidence between the Nigerian government and communities in the South-East.
