The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a strongly worded internal memorandum reaffirming the supreme authority of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and confirming that a one-day sit-at-home observance scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2026, remains in force.
In the memo circulated to IPOB members and released publicly late Wednesday, January 29, 2026, Comrade Emma Powerful — Spokesperson and Head of the Directorate of Media & Publicity — described the chain of command within IPOB as an integral and longstanding feature of the movement since its inception.
“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu deliberately created structured departments to manage the affairs of IPOB in moments exactly like this. His word is final. What he says is law within IPOB. Anyone struggling with this basic fact is either new to the struggle or fundamentally undisciplined,” the statement read.
Powerful emphasized that the Directorate of Media & Publicity — which he heads — remains the sole authorized channel for official communications concerning IPOB. “No newspaper, media house, or international platform publishes anything concerning IPOB without passing through the office of the Spokesperson. That is not arrogance; that is structure,” he asserted.
He further clarified that Kanu personally appointed members of the Directorate of State (DOS) while in Department of State Services (DSS) custody, communicating directives through his then-lawyer, Barr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor. Powerful noted that a recent visit by the Asia Representative to Kanu in detention reaffirmed the leader’s unchanged position: his instructions remain binding and are not subject to debate, reinterpretation, or override by any committee or faction.
The spokesperson directly addressed recent claims of a purported meeting between certain DOS members and representatives of Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo. According to Powerful, individuals who allegedly met with Soludo’s team on Thursday and claimed to have assured the governor that IPOB would not resist intimidation or humiliation of Igbo traders at Onitsha Main Market do not represent Kanu or the movement.
“Those claiming to be from DOS that held a secret meeting with representatives of Governor Soludo... are gravely mistaken. They neither represent Onyendu nor understand him. Our leader has always stood — and will always stand — with the oppressed masses, not with their tormentors,” the memo stated.
Powerful described the February 2 sit-at-home as a targeted, one-off action in direct response to what IPOB perceives as Governor Soludo’s “reckless intimidation” of residents showing solidarity with Kanu. He insisted the order is not open to speculation or selective compliance.
“For the avoidance of doubt: The press statement concerning Monday’s sit-at-home was issued by me and by nobody else,” he declared.
The spokesperson warned against attempts to sideline or replace Kanu’s authority. “Anyone genuinely confused should go to Sokoto and seek clarification from our leader — not engage in idle gossip or internal sabotage online. Those hoping we will forget Onyendu and start chasing shadows are deluding themselves. He founded IPOB. He called us into this struggle. We remain bound to his vision and his instructions.”
He concluded by advising dissenters to form their own separate group rather than continue operating under the IPOB name while defying Kanu’s directives.
The statement comes amid ongoing tensions between IPOB and the Anambra State Government, particularly following recent enforcement actions at Onitsha Main Market and public comments by Governor Soludo perceived by IPOB as hostile to the movement and its supporters.
IPOB has maintained sit-at-home orders and other forms of civil disobedience in the South-East since Kanu’s arrest and extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021. The group insists that all directives flow exclusively from Kanu and that no faction or committee can countermand his instructions.
As of Wednesday evening, neither the Anambra State Government nor Governor Soludo had issued an official response to the IPOB memorandum or the reaffirmed sit-at-home order for February 2.
The development underscores the continued internal discipline and hierarchical loyalty within IPOB despite Kanu’s prolonged detention, as well as the persistent friction between the separatist movement and state authorities in the South-East.
