HELSINKI, Finland — Simon Ekpa, the leader of the Biafra Government In Exile, BGIE, and self-acclaimed Prime Minister of the “Biafra Republic,” has openly rejected the plea from the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, to suspend the planned two-week-long sit-at-home order.
Kanu, currently in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Security, DSS, requested a handwritten letter from his lawyers.
In the letter, he implored Ekpa to halt the sit-at-home directive, arguing that it would only lead to further enslavement and hardship for the Igbo people, also called Ndigbo.
However, in a recent video that has since gone viral, Ekpa rebuffed Kanu’s request, doubting the letter’s authenticity and attributing it to “money mongers.”
— Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa) July 29, 2023
“I want to make it clear that the coming two weeks sit-at-home is not negotiable, for those who have collected money and started flying fake letters from Mazi Nnamdi Kanu that the sit-at-home we have embarked on and will embark on in the future has five points agenda,” Ekpa declared on Saturday, July 29, 2023.
He proceeded to list the reasons for the sit-at-home order, including the immediate release of Kanu from DSS custody, preparation for Biafra’s self-referendum, awareness creation, demonstrating the BGIE’s control over Biafra land, and invalidating those who call themselves elected officials.
“Fifth, to invalidate those who call themselves elected officials, those people speaking nonsense at the National Assembly, this sit-at-home will tell them we’re ready to leave Nigeria for a better future. Don’t mind those people telling you about the sit-at-home, it’s going to enter checkup from Monday,” Ekpa stated.
The rift between the two prominent Biafran leaders adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing political tension in the southeastern region of Nigeria.
Ekpa’s defiance indicates a growing fragmentation within the Biafran movement, which may have far-reaching implications for the stability and unity of the campaign.
The sit-at-home directive, aimed at “crashing the economy of Nigeria,” according to Ekpa, will likely further strain relations between the federal government and pro-Biafra groups.
While many await the upcoming Biafra self-convention scheduled for October in Finland, as announced by Ekpa, the immediate concern for the Nigerian government remains the potential social and economic impact of the sit-at-home directive and the widening rift within the Biafran leadership.
This escalating situation challenges the nation’s delicate balance of power, ethnicity, and governance.
