Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he risks losing the political support of the South-East if Kanu is not released.
Speaking in an interview on Symfoni, an online television platform, Ejimakor insisted that freeing Kanu was essential to any meaningful political engagement with the region.
“Protest is a legitimate democratic expression. If citizens lose the right to protest peacefully, then democracy loses its meaning,” he said.
Ejimakor recounted his legal victories in Kanu’s defense, stating:
“I won three times — at the Abia State High Court, the Federal High Court in Umuahia, and the Enugu State High Court. Yet, government agencies continue to defy these rulings.”
He emphasized that the South-East remains politically marginalized since the end of the civil war and that millions of IPOB members, followers, and sympathizers cannot be ignored.
“For any dialogue going forward, Nnamdi Kanu’s release must be on the table,” he added. “Peter Obi has publicly called for an end to Kanu’s prosecution. The buck stops with President Tinubu. If he doesn’t release Kanu, he should forget about South-East votes. Without freeing him, they can’t win the region.”
Ejimakor’s comments follow his recent assault and arrest by police during a protest in Abuja on October 20, demanding Kanu’s release. He was teargassed, detained at the Kuje Correctional Facility, and later rushed to the facility’s clinic for treatment.
In a video released after his bail, Ejimakor revealed that he now relies on an inhaler due to injuries sustained during the police crackdown.
Despite his ordeal, he vowed to continue campaigning for Kanu’s freedom, joining a growing list of activists — including former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore — who have condemned the government’s continued defiance of court orders mandating Kanu’s release.
The prolonged detention of Nnamdi Kanu, despite multiple court rulings in his favor, has drawn widespread criticism from local and international human rights advocates, who argue that it undermines the rule of law and deepens political tension in the region.
