Activist and former presidential candidate, African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has named October 20 as the date for a protest march to seek the release of the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Sowore made this known on his X account on Thursday.
He promised that the protest, which would be a “historic” march to the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, would be carried out lawfully and peacefully in order to demand the IPOB leader’s release.
The activist wrote, “We now have a date for the historic #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest march to the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. It is October 20 at 7 am.”
Recall that on Wednesday, Sowore urged all South-East governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to join the demonstration.
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“No more empty noise. Let @CCSoludo, @SenatorAbaribe, @alexottiofr, @PeterObi, and all others who claim to care step up and join us in person.
“Every governor, senator, member of the House, traditional ruler, priest, eze, Igbo person, and every Nigerian who believes in Kanu’s freedom should come out and do more than talk,” he added.
Sowore further underlined that he had invited other notable Igbo leaders, such as Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; Dr. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State; and Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, to participate in the demonstration.
“I have tried reaching out personally to Dr. @alexottiofr, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo @CCSoludo, and Mr @PeterObi (through his team) today. Alex Otti and Soludo neither took my calls nor responded to my messages. They promised to tell Mr. @PeterObi about our plans, although he is currently travelling. I also reached out to Alhaji @AtikuAbubakar through his team, while Senator @SenatorAbaribe said he would return my call. I spoke with Obinna Agwuocha of the House of Representatives. He was receptive and encouraging.
“The Abia State House of Assembly members informed me that they plan to travel to London next week and then return directly to Abuja for further action. They mentioned they intend to visit the Attorney General of the Federation first to lodge a complaint; they didn’t anticipate a “placard” protest. I told them, that’s fine; what matters most is that we agree on a unified date for action.
“This is not the time for hesitation. If we genuinely believe that @MaziNnamdiKanu deserves freedom, then every leader of conscience must act, now, not later,” he wrote.
Recall that since his re-arrest in 2021 following his contentious extradition from Kenya, Kanu has been under the Department of State Services’ custody.
The Federal Government has yet to comply with many court orders for his release, which has drawn criticism from political figures and human rights organisations.
The Federal Government has filed accusations against him in the Federal High Court in Abuja that border on terrorism, treason, and incitement.
