In an effort to seek the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra, activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress has set October 20 as the date of a protest march.
This was announced by Sowore on his X account on Thursday.
“We now have a date for the historic #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest march to the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja,” the activist stated. At 7 am on October 20,
Sowore called on all South-East governors, legislators, religious leaders, and traditional leaders to participate in the protest on Wednesday.
“No more meaningless chatter. Please come in person and join us, @CCSoludo, @SenatorAbaribe, @alexottiofr, @PeterObi, and everyone else who says they care.
“Every Nigerian who supports Kanu’s freedom, whether they are a governor, senator, member of the House, traditional ruler, priest, Eze, Igbo, or someone else, should come out and do more than talk,” he continued.
He further emphasized that he had invited several well-known Igbo leaders to participate in the demonstration, including Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; Dr. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State; and Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State.
Dr. @alexottiofr, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo @CCSoludo, and Mr. @PeterObi (via his team) are the people I have attempted to contact directly today. Neither Soludo nor Alex Otti answered my calls or messages. Despite the fact that Mr. @PeterObi is currently traveling, they pledged to inform him of our preparations. Additionally, I contacted Alhaji @AtikuAbubakar via his staff, and Senator @SenatorAbaribe promised to give me a call back. I had a conversation with House of Representatives member Obinna Agwuocha. He was open and supportive.
The members of the Abia State House of Assembly told me that they want to go to London the following week and then head straight back to Abuja to take additional action. They stated that they did not expect a “placard” protest and that they plan to first contact the Attorney General of the Federation to file a complaint. That’s okay, I informed them; what’s important is that we decide on a single date for action.
“Now is not the moment to be hesitant. He wrote, “Every leader of conscience must act now, not later, if we truly believe that @MaziNnamdiKanu deserves freedom.”
Keep in mind that Kanu has been under the Department of State Services’ custody since his contentious extradition from Kenya in 2021, when he was arrested again.
Rights organizations and political figures have condemned the Federal Government for its failure to comply with several court orders for his release.
The Federal Government has filed accusations against him in the Federal High Court in Abuja that include incitement, treasonous crime, and terrorism.
Kanu has always pled not guilty to all accusations.
The Court of Appeal declared in October 2022 that his extradition to Nigeria was illegal and cleared him of all charges.
