Human rights advocate and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has met with former President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the prolonged detention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

According to Sowore, Jonathan acknowledged the urgency of resolving the issue in the interest of peace and justice. The activist disclosed in a Facebook post that the former president assured him of plans to raise the matter with President Bola Tinubu.

Sowore noted that Jonathan’s stance adds him to a growing list of political and civil figures who have publicly demanded Kanu’s release. Others on that list, he said, include former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, legal luminary Femi Falana (SAN), and Senator Shehu Sani.

The AAC leader described Kanu’s continued detention as unfair, insisting that his activism stemmed from a desire to address long-standing grievances over marginalisation in Nigeria. “If other politically motivated cases have been withdrawn or dismissed, then Kanu’s case deserves the same treatment,” he stated.

He further appealed to political, religious, and traditional leaders, especially from the South-East, to come together and demand Kanu’s release. Sowore mentioned several key figures, including Peter Obi, Charles Soludo, Alex Otti, and members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, urging them to lend their voices to the campaign for justice.

Meanwhile, All Progressives Congress chieftain Joe Igbokwe cautioned Sowore against plans to lead a protest to the Presidential Villa over Kanu’s detention. In a Facebook post, Igbokwe criticised the move, describing Kanu as the “butcher of the South-East” and warning Sowore to avoid a cause he termed dangerous and misguided.

Igbokwe argued that Kanu’s activities contributed to widespread violence and destruction in the region over the past decade.

Despite the warning, Sowore reaffirmed his commitment to peaceful mobilisation for Kanu’s release, stressing that “justice and freedom must prevail.”