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 an escalating leadership dispute within the organisation.
In a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB warned that any member or faction acting contrary to Kanu’s directives or the group’s Code of Conduct would face sanctions, including suspension, removal from office and expulsion.
The warning follows a deepening rift within the movement after the dissolution of the third administration of IPOB’s Directorate of State, led by Chika Edoziem, and the appointment of a new leadership headed by US-based Chris Nwaọgụ.
IPOB said Kanu exercised powers under its Code of Conduct to dissolve Edoziem’s administration and constitute a new Directorate of State, insisting that he remains the only authority empowered to appoint or remove principal officers within the organisation.
“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 said.
It added: “The era of indiscipline, constitutional recklessness, and unauthorised 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 had ceased to exist, describing any actions taken by Chika Edoziem or members of his team after their dissolution as 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 organisational consequence within IPOB,” it said.
The development underscores rising internal tensions within IPOB, the separatist movement campaigning for the restoration of an independent Biafra in Nigeria’s South-East.
The group has experienced recurring leadership disputes since the arrest and continued detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. He was first arrested in 2015 on treasonable felony charges, later fled Nigeria while on bail in 2017, and was rearrested in Kenya in June 2021 before being returned to Nigeria.
Despite his detention, IPOB maintains that Kanu remains its supreme leader and retains ultimate authority over its affairs.
The dispute over the Directorate of State leadership marks one of the most significant internal crises within the organisation in recent years, with rival factions contesting legitimacy and control.
