THE Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday said it had no plan to call for the boycott of this year’s general election.
The outlawed group maintained that it has no interest in Nigerian politics.
It insisted that its agitation remained the total freedom of Ndigbo through a referendum.
In a statement by its spokesman Emma Powerful, the group said: “Even though we have consistently said that IPOB is not interested in Nigerian politics, (they)…link IPOB to their plot to select Nigeria’s leaders in the 2023 selection they call an election.
“They are just preparing ignorant people’s minds to blame IPOB for their failure in an already rigged election.”
Meanwhile, the youth wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) yesterday said that despite the threat by the Simon Ekpa-led faction of the group that there won’t be an election in the South-East, the youth wing insisted that there must be an election in the region.
In a statement signed by its leader Comrade Ndubuisi Igwekani (Agu Biafra) and made available to newsmen, it commended the efforts and determination of Nigerian youths to recover the country through their choice of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi.
He said, it is Nigerians that brought Peter Obi out and their goal is genuine, to recover Nigeria. “If they have chosen Peter Obi, South-East cannot be the stumbling block. We cannot be seen as the problem,” he added.
Igwekani insisted that Ekpa must withdraw any order against the peaceful conduct of elections in the South-East if he is truly in the struggle.
He disclosed that a committee has been set up to monitor security situations in the South-East states to identify those responsible for the killings.
“We will also set up a security network to monitor their activities to ensure that all criminals hiding under Biafra struggle to commit crimes are fished out and handed over to security agents.
“If Simon Ekpa is on our side, if he is really fighting for freedom and shows he is not part of the killings in the South-East he must withdraw orders against the election in the South-East.
“Enough of bloodshed in the South-East. We want to know those behind the killings and expose them. We can’t allow continued killings in the name of the Biafra struggle. The struggle is about the emancipation of our people not to kill them.