SOKOTO DECLARATION: EMMA POWERFUL DISMISSES ‘FRAUD FLYER’ CLAIMS, REAFFIRMS KANU’S REFERENDUM POSITION

SOKOTO DECLARATION: EMMA POWERFUL DISMISSES ‘FRAUD FLYER’ CLAIMS, REAFFIRMS KANU’S REFERENDUM POSITION

The camp of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, has dismissed claims that the controversial Sokoto Declaration was neither approved nor authorised by the IPOB leader, insisting that Kanu was a co-signatory to the document.

In a statement issued on October 3, 2026, IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, said allegations describing the declaration as a “fraud flyer” were false and misleading.

Powerful said the document was publicly released and expressly identified Kanu and United States-based activist, Earthshaker Mike Arnold, as its joint issuers.

According to the statement, Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, had before the release of the document disclosed that he was authorised by Kanu to announce that the IPOB leader had been working with Arnold and that both men had jointly drafted the declaration.

The statement further pointed to the published document, which identifies “Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu & Earthshaker Mike Arnold” as its joint issuers and describes Kanu as a “Co-Signatory · Prisoner of Conscience, Sokoto.”

Powerful also cited the document’s description of Kanu as a “Collaborator and co-signatory of the Sokoto Declaration,” arguing that such references directly contradict claims that the IPOB leader had no involvement in the declaration.

The Sokoto Declaration, released in May 2026, was publicly presented as a joint declaration involving Kanu and Arnold, with emphasis on human rights, self-determination and constitutional restructuring in Nigeria.

Kanu Does Not Recognise Any Biafran Government — Camp

While defending Kanu’s involvement in the Sokoto Declaration, the statement drew a clear distinction between the document and claims by individuals or organisations purporting to operate a Biafran government.

According to Kanu’s camp, the IPOB leader “does not recognise any government at this point in time.”

It maintained that Kanu’s position is that the political future of the Biafran people must ultimately be determined by the people themselves through a free, fair and internationally credible democratic process following a United Nations-supervised referendum.

The statement argued that no individual or organisation could legitimately establish a government in the name of Biafra or claim authority from Kanu or the Biafran people before such a democratic process takes place.

“Until the will of the people is freely and democratically expressed, there is no legitimate Biafran government deriving its authority from the people of Biafra,” the statement said.

‘Agitation Is Not Sovereignty’

Kanu’s camp also stressed that while individuals and organisations remain free to campaign for Biafra under different names and structures, such activities do not automatically establish Biafra as a sovereign state.

“Biafra is not yet sovereign,” the statement declared, maintaining that the restoration of Biafra must be pursued through a credible process of self-determination.

It identified a referendum as the central mechanism through which the people should determine their political future.

Camp Warns Against Factional Disputes

The statement further urged supporters of the Biafra cause to avoid what it described as unnecessary factional disputes over individuals claiming governmental positions.

Instead, it called for greater attention to the fundamental question of whether the people of Biafra would be allowed to freely determine their political future.

The Kanu camp maintained that the Sokoto Declaration could be debated, challenged or rejected on its substance, but insisted that claims denying the existence of the document or Kanu’s involvement in it were inaccurate.

“Nobody should lie that it does not exist,” the statement said.

It also rejected claims that Kanu had recognised any self-appointed body as the government of Biafra.

The statement concluded by reiterating that Biafra is “not yet sovereign,” insisting that the people must determine their political future through a referendum and that no individual or organisation has the authority to speak on behalf of a sovereign Biafran government before the people’s will has been democratically established.

The statement was signed by Emma Powerful “for and on behalf of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu,” identifying Kanu as Leader of IPOB and the Biafra Restoration Project.