IPOB Seeks Northern Youths’ Support For Biafra Referendum, Says Hausa Are Brothers

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has renewed its demand for an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination, saying its agitation for Biafra is not directed against the Hausa or other ethnic groups in Nigeria.

The separatist group made the position known in a statement reportedly issued on Friday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on behalf of its Directorate of State.

According to a report by Intel Region, IPOB’s statement followed what the group described as a solidarity declaration by Northern youths and the Northern Nigeria Rescue Movement (NNRM).

IPOB urged other ethnic nationalities to support its call for a referendum, arguing that the campaign for self-determination should not be interpreted as hostility towards other communities.

The group said the political future of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationalities should be determined through a democratic process that allows people to express their preferences.

The group called for an internationally supervised referendum to enable Nigerians to decide how they wish to be governed, including whether they want to remain part of the country.

It also advocated greater autonomy for ethnic nationalities, arguing that communities should be able to negotiate political arrangements, establish federations or pursue regional governance structures that reflect their interests.

IPOB cited the 2014 National Conference convened under former President Goodluck Jonathan, arguing that its recommendations on restructuring and regional autonomy could inform discussions about Nigeria’s political future.

The group also maintained that smaller ethnic communities should have a voice in decisions affecting their political future, irrespective of their population.

Among the ethnic nationalities it mentioned were the Hausa, Kanuri, Tiv, Berom, Nupe, Igala, Jukun, Angas, Bachama, Idoma, Ebira, Gbagyi, Tangale and Borgu.

According to the report, IPOB argued that population size should not determine whether an ethnic group deserves to participate in decisions about its governance.

The group further referred to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of governance structures inherited from colonial rule, using it to support its argument for political arrangements better suited to Nigeria’s diverse communities.

IPOB also called on other ethnic nationalities to follow what it described as the example set by Northern youths who had expressed support for the group’s position.

However, the precise identities of the organisations involved in the reported solidarity declaration and the terms of their support could not be independently established from the available reports.

It therefore remains unclear whether the reported declaration endorsed IPOB’s demand for Biafra’s independence, supported a broader referendum on self-determination or advocated political restructuring more generally.

These distinctions are important because support for restructuring or a referendum does not necessarily amount to support for Biafra’s secession from Nigeria.

IPOB has repeatedly advocated a referendum to determine the political future of the territory it describes as Biafra.

In an October 7, 2023 statement published on its website, the organisation said it was open to negotiations on a peaceful exit from Nigeria through a United Nations-supervised referendum. It described its objective as self-determination through dialogue and a democratic process.

The group’s position has remained contentious, particularly because the Nigerian government proscribed IPOB in 2017. Its separatist campaign has also unfolded amid persistent security challenges in the South-East.

The Nigerian government has historically opposed the group’s secessionist objective, while the legal and political questions surrounding self-determination and the proposed referendum remain unresolved.

The latest statement, as reported, reiterates IPOB’s attempt to frame its campaign as a political question involving the rights of different ethnic nationalities rather than hostility towards any particular community.

The specific response of the Federal Government to the latest statement was not established in the sources reviewed.