Former AAC presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Federal Government of secretly plotting to either execute or jail for life the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Sowore, in a post on his official X handle, claimed the decision has already been taken within President Bola Tinubu’s administration, calling it a “high-level political conspiracy” disguised as judicial process.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it is clear that a secret decision has long been reached regarding Mazi @NnamdiKanu. The plan is to either sentence him to death or condemn him to life imprisonment, all dressed up in the guise of judicial procedure,” Sowore wrote.

He accused the government of manipulating the judiciary, warning that Justice James Omotosho may interpret Kanu’s refusal to open his defence as an admission of guilt. Sowore drew a chilling parallel to the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others in November 1995, noting that “thirty years later, the machinery of repression still grinds on.”

Kanu, who insists there is no valid charge against him, maintains that his detention is unlawful. The Federal High Court had warned that failure to open his defence by the next sitting could result in the court deeming him to have waived his right to do so.

Sowore described the trial as a test of Nigeria’s conscience and democratic commitment, rather than a pursuit of justice.