The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected proposals for the creation of new states in Nigeria’s Southeast, insisting that it seeks Biafra’s independence rather than additional states.
This follows reports that the National Assembly is considering the creation of 31 new states, including five from the Southeast- Etiti, Adada, Urashi, Orlu, and Aba States.
In a statement issued on Monday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, dismissed the proposal as a distraction, arguing that existing states are already bankrupt and dysfunctional.
“Biafrans do not want the creation of new states. Instead of multiplying economically bankrupt states, the unworkable Nigerian unity should be dissolved,” the statement read.
Powerful criticized Nigeria’s leadership, stating that corruption and ethnic favoritism had crippled governance and that adding more states would only deepen disunity and insecurity.
He traced Nigeria’s state creation history back to military rulers like Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Muhammad, Ibrahim Babangida, and Sani Abacha, accusing them of manipulating state boundaries to weaken the Southeast and favor the North.
“Even if Tinubu’s government creates 100 more states, the political imbalance between the North, West, and East will remain. The previous ethnically biased military leaders have already created an unfavorable system that prevents Nigeria from functioning as a united entity,” he stated.
IPOB reiterated its demand for a referendum on Biafra’s independence, rejecting any further division of the Southeast.
“We don’t want our region to be balkanized further. Instead, we want our Igbo brothers and sisters, villages, clans, and regions carved into Kogi, Benue, and Edo states to be reintegrated into Alaigbo (Igbo land).
“What Ndigbo want is an exit from Nigeria in a peaceful and democratic way. That is why IPOB is calling on the Nigerian government to set a referendum date so that Biafrans can decide their fate whether to remain in a forced union or to establish an independent Biafra.”
The statement underscores IPOB’s continued push for secession, rejecting attempts to restructure Nigeria through additional states while insisting on self-determination for the Southeast.
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