The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied supporting the Presidential candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi, saying that he is not their member and never supported their agitation for freedom at any point in time.
This was made known through a statement issued by IPOB’s Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
The separatist group warned the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, to stop linking IPOB to the presidential ambition of Peter Obi, as well as involve them in the selection process they call election in Nigeria.
The reaction from IPOB follows a statement from Kwankwaso while answering questions on a television programme a few days ago, where he said that it will be difficult for Northern voters to vote for Peter Obi because of the activities of IPOB in the South East region.
IPOB in its statement insisted that it was not interested in Nigeria’s corrupt and fraudulent politics, adding that its main target was the liberation of the Biafra people.
What IPOB is saying
- The statement from IPOB reads, “The global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra, under the command and leadership of our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wishes to advise the former Governor Kano State Rabiu Kwankwoso not to involve IPOB in the selection process they call election in Nigeria.
- “The Nigerian politicians generally and Kwankwaso, in particular, should desist from linking IPOB with Peter Obi, his political ambition and campaign. Peter Obi is not an IPOB member and never supported our agitation for freedom at any time because he pursues a totally different goal from that of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
- “We have no interest in the Nigerian morally decadent and fantastically corrupt political system and landscape.
- “If Kwankwaso is threatened by Labour party and Peter Obi’s teeming support by the creative and talented but downtrodden, neglected, deceived, deprived, killed (#Endsars) Nigerian youths from even the North which your generation do not have any good intentions for, then he should go forward and settle his differences and stop linking IPOB to their problem.”
Peter Obi is not an IPOB member and has not supported its agitation
- Going further IPOB said, “IPOB is a disciplined movement and we do not speak from both sides of the mouth. Our singular objective is to extricate our people from the debilitating environment that prevents Biafrans from attaining our fullest potential as human beings, exit from the contraption called Nigeria and be able to determine our fate through putting to use our intrinsic endowments and ingenuity in an enabling environment in a free and Independent Biafran Nation.
- “Peter Obi is not a member of IPOB and he is neither agitating nor in support of our Self Determination struggle. Why associate him with IPOB’s struggle for freedom. IPOB does not know who Peter Obi is going by our biodata bank.
- “Our demand is our inalienable rights to self-determination and this we seek through a universally recognised and accepted political process called referendum as stipulated by the United Nations Charter.
- “IPOB wish to use this medium and opportunity to warn every politician in Nigeria to desist from linking IPOB with their politics and selection process because we are not politicians and have no common interest. We are freedom fighters.”
These politicians and their tribalistic and religious weapons of confusing the masses, all for their own personal gains. So, the activities of Boko Haram in the north could not prevent
non-northerners from voting for the incumbent president, and by extension, Kwankwaso himself who are both northerners, but the activities of a parallel organisation from Obi’s constituency should affect his support from non-easterners. A clear case of double standards, from a man who is rooting to lead and if successful, expected to unite this highly fragmented country.
@Stanley, bless you. Tribalistic Nigerians are just desperately looking for excuses…