IPOB Blasts Akpabio Over ‘Armed Struggle’ Remark, Alleges Threat to Crush Biafra Movement
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a strong response to remarks credited to Senate President Godswill Akpabio concerning the Biafra self-determination movement, describing his position as both misleading and provocative.
The group alleged that the Senate President’s comments amount to a subtle threat, accusing him of attempting to deploy federal authority to stifle their agitation. PulseNets learnt that Akpabio made the remarks during the burial ceremony of Sir Albert Nnamani, a former Administrative Secretary of the defunct OMPADEC, held in Ikem, Enugu State.
At the event, he reportedly advised leaders in the Southeast to caution young people against embracing armed resistance in pursuit of Biafra, warning that any violent attempt to secede from Nigeria would ultimately fail.
He was quoted as saying:
“A situation whereby you try to wrest power and try to assert independence through armed struggle from the federal government will fail. The state power will always overwhelm you.”
The comments have since sparked backlash from IPOB, which rejected the characterization of its activities as an “armed struggle,” describing the claim as inaccurate and deceptive.
In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB maintained that its movement remains non-violent and strictly committed to achieving its objective through a referendum. The group told PulseNets that its core demand has not shifted.
According to the group, “Let it be stated again, without ambiguity: IPOB is not engaged in armed struggle against Nigeria. IPOB’s position has never changed. IPOB is founded on one simple democratic demand: a referendum. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
IPOB further described Akpabio’s remarks as political intimidation cloaked in the language of peace, arguing that such statements distort the true nature of its agitation, which it insists is grounded in democratic ideals.
The group also asserted that its demand for self-determination is backed by both the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, reinforcing its claim to legitimacy.
“A referendum is not war. A referendum is not terrorism. A referendum is not armed struggle. A referendum is the most democratic expression of political will known to any civilised people.”
IPOB emphasized that sovereignty lies with the people, insisting that no political authority has the right to deny them the opportunity to determine their future.
“The people of Biafra are not asking Akpabio for permission to exist. They are not asking Abuja for permission to think. They are not asking the Nigerian State for permission to decide their political future. That decision belongs exclusively to the people themselves.”
The group further accused the federal government and political elites of deliberately misrepresenting its stance to justify clampdowns, maintaining that its mission remains entirely political and unchanged. PulseNets reported that IPOB views such narratives as a calculated attempt to delegitimize its cause.
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It said: “What IPOB will not do is surrender the inalienable right of our people because frightened political actors in Abuja are uncomfortable with the consequences of democratic choice.”
IPOB also argued that labeling the movement as militant reflects a failed strategy by critics who, according to the group, have been unable to counter its arguments within a democratic framework.
