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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said that it has no intention of disrupting 2023 elections in Igbo land.
A statement issued on Saturday by IPOB’s Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, said there is no truth in the claim circulating on social media that the group is planning to disrupt 2023 elections.
Recall that a video of a breakaway member of IPOB, Mr Simon Ekpa, surfaced on the internet recently, where he said the group would not allow election to hold in Biafra land.
However, Powerful said the secessionist group’s agitation will not be violent, accusing the Federal Government of masterminding insecurity in the South East, with the hope of causing fear and accusing its members of such plans.
“The IPOB leadership has for umpteenth time stated unequivocally that part of our modus operandi in our agitation for freedom has never been, is not and will not be violent agitation.
“This explains our consistent demand for the United Nations (UN) to organize a referendum in the Biafran territory for the Biafran people to determine their destiny. To this effect, IPOB is neither contemplating nor will it encourage or sponsor anyone or group to disrupt the Nigeria shambolic selection process called election.
“IPOB has constantly made it public that we have no interest in and cannot legitimize the aberration they call election in Nigeria. We are a focused, determined and disciplined freedom fighting movement, not political thugs, and IPOB is devoted to the cause of liberating our people from subjugation and from modern day slavery and neo-colonialism and will not allow ourselves to be distracted from this very objective,” Powerful said.
According to him, IPOB is not interested and will never involve itself in any fraudulent election issues.
“Whoever that is sponsoring any group or gang tagging them IPOB is on his/her own. For those who are hard of hearing, IPOB is one indivisible family under one central command and leadership.
“If in the future IPOB leadership decides to make further statement on the upcoming Nigeria selection process called election, we shall make such statement through our official channels,” he added.