…Rival leadership rejects move
A fresh leadership crisis has engulfed the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) following the announcement by one faction of the group that it had indefinitely suspended the office of the leader, and the position of Director of Radio Biafra previously held by detained separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, while a rival faction swiftly dismissed the action as unconstitutional and null and void.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the IPOB Directorate of State (DOS), led by Chikadibia Edoziem, announced the immediate and indefinite suspension of Kanu’s offices, saying the move was necessary to safeguard the organisation’s operations, protect members, and prevent security breaches in the South-East.
The DOS said the decision was taken during a full meeting of its members on June 17, 2026, and formed part of efforts to reposition and strengthen the Biafran self-determination movement. It stressed that the action was intended to prevent individuals or groups from carrying out unauthorised activities under the authority of the suspended office and to curb actions that could expose members to arrests, torture, or death.
According to the leadership, IPOB should no longer be held responsible for activities undertaken by individuals or groups claiming legitimacy from the suspended Office of the Leader. It also maintained that the Directorate of State remains the apex institution overseeing the movement and declared that any attempt to dissolve it was invalid.
The DOS cited intelligence reports allegedly linking Kanu to meetings with security agencies in detention, concerns over communications said to have led to arrests and deaths of members, and fears of plans by certain individuals to establish a new militia that could trigger renewed violence in the region. Despite the suspension, the faction reaffirmed its commitment to a peaceful and non-violent pursuit of self-determination, insisting that the struggle must not become a source of harm to the people it seeks to represent.
However, in a swift response yesterday, another IPOB leadership faction rejected the suspension, insisting that those behind the decision lacked the authority to take such action.
In an issued statement signed by IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group argued that the Edoziem-led Directorate of State had already been dissolved by Kanu under powers granted to him by the organisation’s Code of Conduct. The faction said a new leadership structure, described as the fourth Directorate of State and headed by Chris Nwaọgụ, had already been constituted, rendering all actions and pronouncements by the former administration invalid.
According to the group, IPOB’s constitution vests the authority to appoint, suspend, dismiss, or dissolve principal officers and administrative structures solely in the Office of the Supreme Leader, a position held by Kanu. It argued that no coordinator, committee, directorate, or collective body possesses the constitutional power to suspend or remove its leader.
The faction accused members of the dissolved administration of misconduct and abuse of office, alleging that they were attempting to exercise powers beyond those granted to them under the group’s internal laws. It directed members worldwide to disregard all statements, appointments, suspensions, and directives issued by Edoziem and members of the dissolved administration, insisting that the authority of Kanu remains supreme and binding on all members.
The group also urged media organisations to verify information from authorised sources before reporting developments concerning IPOB, warning that any member or group attempting to undermine Kanu’s authority would face disciplinary measures, including suspension or expulsion.
