The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has described as “laughable” a statement credited to the National Secretary, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-Cultural Association, Saleh Alhassan, linking it to the OBIdient movement.
The group rejected the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, or any president of Igbo extraction, saying Nigeria was irredeemable.
It said Alhassan’s statement was an insult to the Biafra struggle and the spirits of all who had died for the restoration of Biafra.
In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB warned that nobody should drag or link it with the politics of Obi.
It maintained that it neither knew Obi nor agreed with Obi’s political opinions, insisting that its interest remained the unconditional release of its Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Biafra Referendum date.
The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the laughable and disgraceful statement credited to one Saleh Alhassan of Miyetti Allah group linking the so-called Obidient movement to IPOB.
“Miyyeti Allah are not well informed to know that IPOB does not engage in seasonal jamboree and selection process called Nigerian election.
“IPOB can not drag its hard-earned reputation to the mud of the farce called Nigerian politics. Peter Obi is involved in and playing the dirty Nigerian politics while we in IPOB play advanced internationally accepted politics targeting Biafra Referendum.”
According to the group, “the Igbo people rallying behind Peter Obi are not IPOB members” because IPOB’s goal is the disintegration of the “Nigeria enterprise irrespective of whether Peter Obi or anyone else from the Biafran geographic space is contesting in the Nigerian farce of an election.
“Nigerians should understand that not every indigenous Igbo, Ibibio, Anang, Izon, Ogoni, Urhobo, etc from Biafra extraction support the Biafra Agitation by IPOB. While some are in support others are against it. That’s the democratic nature of Biafrans which only Referendum will settle.”
IPOB, it said, is neither interested in an Igbo President nor a Nigerian President of Biafra extraction.
“IPOB is a freedom fighting movement and has nothing whatsoever to do with or in Nigerian politics. So long as we in IPOB are concerned, Nigeria is irredeemable. All we want is the unconditional release of our Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Biafra Referendum date,” the statement added.
