The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is calling for a sovereignty referendum to determine if the people of the SOuth-East region what to leave the Nigerian nation.
IPOB said in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, advised Biafrans at home and in the Diaspora to be prepared for the forthcoming referendum to decide whether to be an independent sovereign entity from Nigeria or not.
“IPOB leadership invites the international community, men and women of goodwill to come and monitor this peaceful referendum in Biafraland. IPOB family members worldwide are working tirelessly to restore our long lost freedom and political independence without bloodshed.
“We, Biafrans, in pursuit of our inalienable, irreducible and God-given right to restore our stolen sovereignty, do hereby state that we do not require the permission of government officials to grant us our natural freedom.
“With these reasons, the path to Biafra independence must and will not pass through Abuja because it is a process that will be considered by Biafrans only and no other people.
“In line with this, we have decided to adopt the option of self-rule. For as long as Biafra remains a part of Nigeria, we will remain forever slaves in our own land.
“More so, the right to self-determination is always implemented through a referendum with the participation of all residents in the land.
“This path has also been implemented recently by South Sudan, Greenland, Kosovo, Albania, East Timor, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro among others. Scotland has also exercised this right to self-determination and so has the Quebec region in Canada. If these nations, populated by humans like Biafrans, can exercise this right, so can we.
“In all these newly created countries, their citizens voted in a referendum with international monitoring bodies, which ensured the validity of the votes cast. The same referendum can also be conducted in Biafraland and monitored by international observers.”
May God help us