The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Friday, threatened disciplinary action against members it accused of undermining the authority of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, amid efforts to resolve a growing leadership dispute within the organization.
In a statement issued by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, the group warned that any member or faction violating Kanu’s directions or the organization’s Code of Conduct would face punishments such as suspension, removal from office, or expulsion.
The warning comes following the disintegration of the third administration of IPOB’s Directorate of State, led by Chika Edoziem, and the inauguration of a new leadership, headed by US-based Chris Nwaọgụ.
According to IPOB, Kanu used the powers given to him by the organization’s Code of Conduct to dissolve Edoziem’s administration and establish a fourth Directorate of State.
IPOB maintained that Kanu remains the only person vested with the authority to appoint, suspend, or dismiss principal officers within the organization.
“Any individual or group that persists in defying the lawful authority of the Supreme Leader, undermining the command-and-control structure of IPOB, or acting contrary to the Code of Conduct shall face severe disciplinary measures, including suspension, removal from office, and expulsion from the movement,” the statement read.
It added, “The era of indiscipline, constitutional recklessness, and unauthorized power-grabbing within IPOB is over. The authority of the Supreme Leader remains supreme, unquestionable, and binding on all members.”
The group also declared that the third Directorate of State Administration no longer exists and that any action taken by Edoziem or members of his team after their dissolution is invalid.
“The 3rd Administration of the Directorate of State no longer exists. Its tenure has been terminated by lawful authority and its powers extinguished. Consequently, any directive, instruction, statement, appointment, suspension, or administrative action purportedly issued by Chika Edoziem or any member of the dissolved administration after its dissolution is null, void, and incapable of creating any legal or organizational consequence within IPOB,” the group said.
The development reflects rising internal tensions within IPOB, the separatist movement fighting for the restoration of an independent Biafra state in Nigeria’s south-east.
Since Kanu’s arrest and continuing confinement by the Nigerian government, there have been recurrent leadership disagreements inside the movement.
Kanu was originally detained in 2015 on suspicion of a treasonous offense. He later fled Nigeria while on bail in 2017, was caught again in Kenya in June 2021, and then returned to Nigeria.
Despite his arrest and the ongoing legal procedures against him, IPOB has continuously maintained that Kanu is the movement’s supreme leader and has complete power over its business.
The disagreement over the Directorate of State leadership is one of the most serious internal crises the organization has seen in recent years, with competing camps vying for legitimacy and power inside the movement.
