The Eastern Peoples Congress (EPC) has condemned the life imprisonment sentence handed down to the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing the ruling by Justice James Omotosho as “a miscarriage of justice.”
The position was reached during the group’s National Leadership Meeting held on Saturday, November 22, in Calabar, Cross River State.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the EPC faulted the judgment, insisting that it lacked constitutional backing, particularly in light of Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that no citizen shall be convicted of a criminal offence not defined by law.
According to the EPC, the sentencing amounts to “oppression and marginalisation” of the Eastern Region, a situation it warned could undermine peace, unity, and national cohesion.
The organisation urged all Pro-Biafran and pro-eastern bodies, movements and stakeholders to resist what it described as systemic injustices that continue to hinder the development and political stability of the region.
The communiqué stressed the need for caution in public discourse, advising all groups and individuals to avoid divisive language and actions capable of threatening the unity and progress of Eastern Nigerians. It reiterated the EPC’s commitment to peaceful advocacy and regional solidarity.
In its demands, the EPC called for the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, while urging the United Nations and other international institutions to facilitate a referendum that would enable the people of Eastern Nigeria determine their political future in line with international law and the principle of self-determination.
The group reaffirmed its identity as an advocacy, human rights, and self-determination organisation dedicated to non-violent engagement, unity, and justice for the Eastern region.
