From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned against being linked to a sit-at-home order in the South East during the February 25 election.
According to IPOB, a mushroom group called Pan Nigeria President of Igbo Extraction Coalition (PANPIEC) was blackmailing it and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) with the purported sit-at-home enforcement.
In a statement by IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, the group was emphatic that it had no plans or intention to order any sit-at-home during the election period.
Powerful stated that the IPOB led by Nnamdi Kanu had never adopted forceful obstruction of election as a tool in Biafra struggle.
Though, he said that IPOB once called for election boycott, but it was later called off at that period.
Powerful stated: “We have maintained that we don’t have any interest in the Nigeria shambolic political selection process called Nigeria elections scheduled for February 2023. Our interest and focus is the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the date for Biafra referendum for Biafrans to determine their political future in or outside Nigeria.
“We knew that this mushroom group called PANPIEC is among those sponsoring this fake group claiming that they are IPOB issuing and enforcing reckless sit at homes in the East. If they are not their sponsors with the Fulani government of Nigeria, why do they keep linking the paid agents of confusion with us even as IPOB have publicly denounced any link with Simon Ekpa and his collaborators.
It’s on record and in the public domain that IPOB has not called for any sit-at-home during February elections. It’s also obvious that IPOB and ESN do not have any faction or splinter groups. IPOB remains peaceful and indivisible under one command for the liberation of Biafra Nation from the damnable Republic called Nigeria.
“We reiterate for the records that, IPOB have not, did not and will not issue any sit-at-.home order in February during the elections period. We also did not call for any boycott of the upcoming elections yet. Nobody should blame or link IPOB to the statements or actions of government agents operating in the Eastern Region.
“The focus of IPOB is the release from illegal detention of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whom Appeal Court and other courts have discharged and acquitted since 13th of October 2022, and Biafra Referendum date.”
Powerful, therefore, declared that any group claiming to be IPOB while issuing sit-at-home orders are criminals and state sponsored agents and do not represent IPOB led by Kanu.