African Action Congress (AAC) governorship hopeful in Abia State, Doris Ogala, has shown support for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), calling him a "messiah". She urged President Bola Tinubu to work for his release.
Ms Ogala, who is an actress turned politician, plans to challenge Governor Alex Otti for the Abia governorship in 2027. She made these comments during an interview with ABN TV.
In the interview, she shared her political goals and her party's stance on Kanu's imprisonment. She believes an AAC government would positively impact Kanu's situation.
"I support what Nnamdi Kanu is doing 100 percent because he is like a messiah; he is like a prophet that we didn’t see coming," she stated.
According to Ms Ogala, many of Kanu's statements and predictions about Nigeria have turned out to be true.
"Everything he has prophesied has come to pass. Everything he said is what is happening today," she added.
Kanu’s Long Legal Fight
Nnamdi Kanu's legal issues began in 2015 when he was arrested by Nigerian authorities for his separatist activities.
He was granted bail in 2017 but fled Nigeria after a military operation near his home in Abia State.
Kanu later surfaced abroad, continuing his campaign for an independent Biafra. He was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021.
His trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja concluded in November 2025. Justice James Omotosho found him guilty on seven counts related to terrorism.
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment for those counts, with other sentences running concurrently. The prosecution proved its case regarding his broadcasts and threats linked to IPOB activities.
Kanu denied the allegations and challenged the trial's legality.
The Court of Appeal dismissed a separate appeal he filed against the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney-General, stating the matter was now academic after his conviction.
Ms Ogala's Plans
Despite Kanu's conviction, Ms Ogala said she would push for his pardon if she becomes governor in 2027.
"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 directly release Kanu from prison, as his conviction came from a federal prosecution. Therefore, her plan would involve advocating for clemency.
Ms Ogala also connected Kanu's chances of freedom to Omoyele Sowore, a key figure in the AAC who has run for the presidency.
She believes that if Sowore becomes president, he will release Kanu.
"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 emphasized that the AAC opposes Kanu's continued imprisonment and that she personally supports 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 percent," she stated.
A Call to President Tinubu
Ms Ogala also made a direct appeal to President Tinubu regarding Kanu's 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 urged Mr Tinubu to "revisit Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment" and work to secure his release.
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