Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has joined human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in calling on the federal government to immediately release detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Atiku, in a post on his X handle yesterday, described Kanu’s continued detention as a “stain on Nigeria’s belief in the rule of law.”

Kanu is facing charges of terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement before the Federal High Court in Abuja, all of which he has consistently denied. He has been in detention for years despite multiple court rulings ordering his release.

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Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed full support for Sowore’s campaign for Kanu’s release.

The former vice president recently hinted at contesting the 2027 presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying he would not step down for anyone. He had led a coalition of opposition figures into the ADC in a bid to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

He wrote, “The continued detention of Mazi 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.

“I, therefore, lend my voice in full support of the campaign led by @YeleSowore 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.”

Sowore had on Wednesday urged South-East governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to join the planned demonstration for Kanu’s release.

He revealed that he had reached out to prominent Igbo figures in the region, including governors, senators, and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to join the movement.