The camp of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, has rejected claims that he did not approve, authorise or co-sign the controversial Sokoto Declaration.
In a statement issued by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, on behalf of Kanu, the group described claims that the declaration was a “fraud flyer” as false and said the document was publicly released and identifies Kanu and US-based activist Mike Arnold as its joint issuers.
The statement, dated October 3, 2026, said Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, had announced before the document’s release that he was authorised by Kanu to disclose that the IPOB leader had been working with Arnold and that both men had drafted the declaration together.
The camp 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.”
According to Powerful, the document also describes Kanu as a “Collaborator and co-signatory of the Sokoto Declaration,” arguing that these references contradict claims that Kanu had no involvement in the document.
The Sokoto Declaration was released in May 2026 and was publicly reported at the time as a joint declaration involving Kanu and Arnold, focusing on human rights, self-determination and constitutional restructuring in Nigeria.
Kanu Does Not Recognise Any Biafran Government, Camp Says
The statement, however, drew a distinction between the Sokoto Declaration and claims by individuals or groups presenting themselves as a Biafran government.
According to Kanu’s camp, the IPOB leader “does not recognise any government at this point in time.”
It said Kanu’s stated position is that the political future of Biafrans should ultimately be determined by Biafrans through a “free, fair and internationally credible democratic process” following a United Nations-supervised referendum.
The statement argued that no individual or organisation can establish a government in the name of Biafra and claim that it derives 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 stated that individuals and organisations remain free to campaign for Biafra under different names or structures, but argued that such activities do not by themselves establish Biafra as a sovereign state.
“Biafra is not yet sovereign,” the statement declared, maintaining that the restoration of Biafra requires a credible process of self-determination.
It identified a referendum as the central pathway for determining the political future of the people.
Camp Rejects Factional Disputes
The statement urged supporters of the Biafra cause to avoid what it described as factional disputes over individuals claiming governmental positions.
It said the focus should instead remain on whether the people of Biafra would be allowed to freely determine their political future.
The 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 government as the government of Biafra.
The statement concluded by reiterating that Biafra is “not yet sovereign,” that the people should determine their political future through a referendum, and that no one has authority to speak on behalf of a sovereign Biafran government before the people’s will is democratically established.
The statement was signed by Emma Powerful “for and on behalf of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu,” identifying him as Leader of IPOB and the Biafra Restoration Project.
