Okorie Urges Biafran Agitators to Embrace Political Strategy, Mobilise for 2027

The National Chairman of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has appealed to Biafran agitators and other freedom fighters to review their strategies and deploy political participation rather than confrontation in pursuit of self-determination and the release of detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In a statement, yesterday, Okorie urged Ndigbo to massively participate in the 2027 general elections.

He said that the prolonged agitation for Biafra had come at significant economic and human costs, stressing that the time had come to reconsider the “strategy, tactics and methodology” of the struggle.

According to him, political participation offers an opportunity for the Igbo to translate their population and geographical spread into political influence “without firing a shot.”

Okorie maintained that the aspiration for self-determination could be pursued through peaceful and democratic means, pointing to examples of separatist movements around the world that have pursued political processes rather than armed confrontation.

He also revisited the circumstances surrounding Kanu’s return to Nigeria from Kenya in 2021, describing it as an “extraordinary rendition” and saying the issue had continued to provoke concerns among many Igbo.

Okorie said appeals by Igbo leaders for a political resolution of Kanu’s case had not yielded the desired outcome, describing Kanu as “the symbol of Igbo dilemma in Nigeria.”

He therefore urged Ndigbo to use the 2027 elections to make a “resounding political statement” and press for Kanu’s unconditional release and that of other detained agitators.

The IAD chairman also appealed to Igbo in the diaspora to mobilise their families, friends and associates in Nigeria to participate actively in the elections.