IPOB Rejects Akpabio’s Remarks, Calls It “Political Blackmail” Not Peace
May 4, 2026
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has dismissed recent comments by Senate President Godswill Akpabio in Enugu, describing them as “state propaganda, political blackmail and a failed attempt to coerce Ndigbo into submission” rather than a genuine peace initiative.
Akpabio had warned Igbo youths to “shun armed struggle” because “state power will always overwhelm you,” while also raising the possibility of creating an additional state for the South-East and pledging greater inclusion. In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said the remarks were not directed at armed groups but were instead aimed at the Biafra self-determination movement led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOB stressed that it is not engaged in armed struggle and has consistently demanded only a referendum on Biafra’s political future. “A referendum is not war. A referendum is not terrorism. A referendum is the most democratic expression of political will known to any civilised people,” the group said, adding that it is more legitimate than Nigeria’s electoral process.
The group also cited Section 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 20(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to argue that sovereignty belongs to the people and they have the inalienable right to self-determination. IPOB referenced the Supreme Court’s 2000 ruling in _Abacha v. Fawehinmi_, which affirmed the African Charter as part of Nigerian municipal law and enforceable by courts.
On Akpabio’s offer of an additional state, IPOB said Biafra “is not a bargaining chip for constitutional crumbs” and cannot be resolved through administrative adjustments within the current structure. It accused the Nigerian State of criminalising peaceful agitation, abducting Kanu from Kenya, and using the judiciary as a tool of intimidation.
IPOB maintained that it is not demanding violence but consent through a vote, and that no amount of “political theatre, coordinated propaganda or judicial manipulation” would compel Kanu to renounce the Biafra cause. The group insisted that the decision on Biafra’s political status rests solely with the people of Biafra.