Ipob plans to hold Biafran referendum on the same day as Nigeria's presidential elections

SECESSIONIST group the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) has announced that it will hold a referendum on February 16 at the same time as Nigeria's presidential elections are taking place to ask the southeast geo-political zone if it wants to break away.

Since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, Ipob and other secessionist groups have stepped up their campaign to recreate Biafra, the breakaway republic that existed briefly between July 1967 and January 1970 during the Nigerian Civil War. They claim that the current administration has marginalised Ndigbo and want to create their own sovereign nation of Igbos.

Ipob has been calling for a referendum on the matter, although it has not said who will be polled in the plebiscite or what the questions asked will be. Its calls have been ignored by the government and Igbo leaders who want to remain in Nigeria and have argued that what is needed is the fair treatment of Ndigbo.

In defiance of this, Ipob has said it will hold a referendum on the same day as the Nigerian presidential elections. Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu is expected to present the details of the referendum plans to the with top members of the group later this week.

An Ipob spokesman said: “We, the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) ably led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to announce officially to the people of Biafra both home and in the diaspora, friends of Biafra and lovers of freedom that our supreme leader is currently in London to join his family and see a newborn child he hadn’t seen because of his illegal incarceration and detention since 2015. He will also discuss with Ipob top family members in London to finalise the way forward for Biafra referendum that will hold on February 16, 2019, along with the Nigeria presidential poll.

“Ipob leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s relocation to the United Kingdom from his base in Israel was actually to perfect arrangements on Biafra referendum scheduled to hold 16th February 2019 to ascertain number of those who want Nigeria politics and those who want Biafra freedom through a peaceful and democratic process for the sovereignty of our dear nation Biafra. Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is currently meeting with the Ipob high command in Europe to perfect plans for the referendum which will go side by side with the February 16 presidential poll.”

According to Ipob, the options to be discussed include asking supporters of Biafra to sit at home on February 16. Another option would be for people to go and vote but Ipob says this would amount to supporting the Islamic dominated Nigeria and preferring slavery under the brutal regime of Jubril the impostor from Sudan.