‘I’ll push for Nnamdi Kanu’s release if elected Abia governor’ — Doris Ogala

African Action Congress (AAC) governorship aspirant in Abia State, Doris Ogala, has expressed support for incarcerated Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, describing him as a “messiah” and urging President Bola Tinubu to secure his release.

Ms Ogala, an actress-turned-politician who has declared her intention to challenge Governor Alex Otti for the Abia governorship in 2027, made the remarks during an interview with ABN TV.

She spoke about her political ambition, her party’s position on Mr Kanu’s incarceration and what she said an AAC-led government would mean for the IPOB leader.

“I support what Nnamdi Kanu is doing 100 per cent because he is like a messiah; he is like a prophet that we didn’t see coming,” she said.

According to Ms Ogala, several statements and predictions previously made by Mr Kanu about Nigeria had subsequently become realities.

“Everything he has prophesied has come to pass. Everything he said is what is happening today,” she said.

Kanu’s decade-long legal battle

Mr Kanu’s legal troubles date back to 2015, when Nigerian authorities arrested and charged him over his separatist activities.

He was subsequently granted bail in 2017 but left Nigeria following a military operation around his residence in Abia State that year.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

Mr Kanu resurfaced abroad and continued his campaign for an independent Biafra before he was arrested in Kenya and returned to Nigeria in June 2021.

His long-running trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja ended in November 2025 when Justice James Omotosho convicted him on seven terrorism-related counts.

The court sentenced him to life imprisonment on several counts, with additional prison terms imposed on others to run concurrently.

The court held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, including allegations relating to Mr Kanu’s broadcasts, threats and sit-at-home directives associated with IPOB activities.

Mr Kanu rejected the allegations and challenged the legality of the proceedings against him.

The Court of Appeal subsequently struck out a separate fundamental-rights appeal filed by Mr Kanu against the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, holding that the matter had become academic following his conviction and transfer to prison custody.

‘I will seek his pardon’

Despite Mr Kanu’s conviction, Ms Ogala said one of her priorities if elected Abia governor in 2027 would be to advocate for his freedom.

“If I am the governor of Abia State, the first thing I will seek is Nnamdi Kanu’s pardon,” she said.

An Abia governor cannot unilaterally order Mr Kanu’s release from a sentence imposed following a federal prosecution. Ms Ogala’s proposed intervention would, therefore, involve advocating for clemency rather than exercising a direct power to free him.

Ms Ogala also linked Mr Kanu’s prospects of regaining his freedom to Omoyele Sowore, a leading figure in the AAC who has previously contested the Nigerian presidency on the party’s platform.

She said she believed Mr Sowore would release the IPOB leader if he became president.

“I know that if my president, Omoyele Sowore, who has shown his public support for Nnamdi Kanu, becomes the president, he will release Nnamdi Kanu that same day,” she said.

Ms Ogala said the AAC opposed Mr Kanu’s continued incarceration and declared her personal support for him.

“We are fully behind Nnamdi Kanu. I support him, not only because he is the leader of IPOB, but also because he is my brother, and I support him 100 per cent,” she said.

Appeal to Tinubu

Ms Ogala also directly appealed to President Tinubu to reconsider Mr Kanu’s continued imprisonment.

“I am telling the president, their president now, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to, with immediate effect, visit Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment and get him released,” she said.

She reiterated that Mr Tinubu should “revisit Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment” and secure his release.

‘Alex should step down’

In a separate video posted on her Instagram page, Ms Ogala intensified her criticism of Mr Otti over outstanding financial obligations to Abia retirees.

Reacting to reports that the state government had commenced payments to retirees, she claimed the development demonstrated the impact of pressure on the administration.

“I just woke up this morning and saw that Alex Otti has started paying the pension arrears. One thing is clear: Doris is here to liberate her people. I play a lot, but I do not take the welfare of my people [lightly],” she said.

The latest payment announced by the Abia government, however, concerns outstanding gratuities, rather than current pension payments.

Ms Ogala also referenced an encounter involving Ifeanyi Okali, owner of ABN TV, and the governor over retirees’ entitlements.

She alleged that Mr Okali had confronted the governor about the issue and received assurances that the outstanding obligations would be settled.

According to Ms Ogala, retirees should not be criticised for demanding money legally owed to them.

“Mr Ifeanyi Okali, the owner of ABN TV, confronted you concerning the issue, and you assured him that it would be paid. And you also called these pensioners ungrateful for asking for what is rightfully due to them,” she said.

“This is unfair. You can insult me for all you care, but the party I represent kicks against this kind of injustice and oppression.”

₦61.8 billion gratuity backlog

The Abia State Government said on Monday that a committee established to review outstanding gratuity obligations had put the total liability at ₦61.8 billion.

According to the government, ₦7.2 billion was accumulated between 2001 and 2010, while ₦43.6 billion was incurred between 2011 and May 2023.

Another ₦10.9 billion accumulated between May 2023 and August 2026.

The figures mean about ₦50.8 billion of the liability identified by the committee accumulated before Mr Otti assumed office in May 2023, while ₦10.9 billion accrued from May 2023 to August 2026.

Commissioner for Information Okey Kanu said the administration had begun payments to retirees whose outstanding gratuities dated from 2001 to 2010.

The government said the payments would be made in phases because of the size of the liability, with provisions expected to be incorporated into the state’s Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and annual budgets through 2031.

It also said beneficiaries would undergo verification and biometric validation to prevent fraud, duplication and wrongful payments.

Ms Ogala, however, said beginning the payments did not absolve the administration of responsibility for settling the outstanding obligations.

She challenged Mr Otti to ensure that no retiree remained owed at the end of his administration.

“You paid from 2001 to 2010; you will finish it,” she said.

“Alex, you will not owe any pensioner, and it is time for you to step down.”

Ms Ogala also accused the governor of “fraud and deceit”. The remarks are political allegations by the governorship aspirant and have not been established as facts.

Mr Otti had not publicly responded to Ms Ogala’s latest allegations as of press time.