The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, of sponsoring a “fake Ohanaeze faction” to discredit the ongoing peaceful protest calling for the release of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB described as “shameless propaganda” a recent publication by Daily Post Nigeria, which quoted a faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo as rejecting the protest jointly championed by activist Omoyele Sowore and others.
Powerful claimed the publication was part of a calculated effort by Umahi to “undermine the Igbo struggle by weaponising fake factions and phantom statements.”
According to IPOB, the individual cited in the report, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, was not in Nigeria but “receiving medical treatment in India,” adding that his name was being used by political actors to create confusion.
“There is only one legitimate Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, ably led by Senator Mbata, not the disgraced impostor Okechukwu Isiguzoro — a man currently receiving medical treatment in India,” the statement read.
“By propping up a bedridden patient in India as Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, Umahi has proven that he will employ any trick — no matter how ignoble — to suppress the legitimate voice of the Igbo race.”
IPOB further alleged that the current situation mirrors a previous strategy used against the Biafra movement, comparing it to the alleged recruitment of Simon Ekpa to “derail and infiltrate” their struggle.
The group urged all Igbo people, both at home and abroad, to disregard the report and participate in the #FreeMaziNnamdiKanuNow march, which it described as “a protest of conscience.”
“No true Igbo son or daughter will oppose a peaceful march calling for justice and freedom for one of our own,” IPOB said, warning that any Igbo politician opposing Kanu’s release “has betrayed his lineage.”
Reaffirming its support for the peaceful protest, IPOB maintained that “Umahi’s propaganda machine has failed” and insisted that “the voice of truth cannot be silenced by a rented press statement.”
The statement was signed by Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB’s Spokesperson and Media/Publicity Secretary.